Less than fifty years ago, many ornithologists predicted that cliff swallows would vanish from Ohio. The swallows, which first appeared in the state in 1820, nested under the eaves of barns. By 1960, the alien house sparrows were taking over most of the good nesting areas.
The 6-inch-long cliff swallow has a gray breast, white underside, dark blue head, back and wings, a cream-colored forehead and neck ring and a reddish-brown throat.
The birds live together in large colonies. Their gourd-shaped nests are built from balls of mud and have a spout-like entrance tunnel.
Farmers in the Amish areas of Wayne and Holmes Counties in Ohio have consciously worked to increase the numbers of cliff swallows in the area. The Amish farms, which don’t use insecticides, provide plenty of insects to feed the swallows. The farmers also ensure that the areas under the eaves of their barns are suitable and available for nesting cliff swallows.
This means driving off house sparrows which like to nest in the same areas. Some farmers take down all the old nests, which usually number in the hundreds, at the end of the nesting season. This accomplishes two things – it cuts down on insect infestation in the nests and it keeps the ever-present house sparrows from roosting in the nests during the winter. Some farmers attach place narrow laths along the area under the eaves to make it easier for the birds to attach their nests.
The Amish farmers are proud of their cliff swallow colonies. I recently visited an Amish farm in Holmes County which boasts Upgrade Your Bird Identification Skills by hundreds of nests, each touching adjacent nests. I counted 51 nests under one side of the eaves at one peak of the barn.
The farmer, Mr. Yoder, sent one of his young sons up to the top of the barn to open a small window just under the eaves. It was quite a sight to see dozens of cliff swallows swirling around in front of the grinning little boy in the window.
“We’re serious birders,” stated Yoder. Listening to his discussion of the cliff swallow colonies in the area, we got the idea that there is a friendly competition among the Amish farmers to see who can attract the largest colony of the birds.
Thanks to farmers in this area, Ohio is no longer in danger of losing its population of cliff swallows.
Pat McCarthy is an instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature and the author of over a dozen books for children. Learn more about her books at her blog, http://www.PatMcCarthysAuthorBlog.blogspot.com If you have a question about writing for children, e-mail Pat at patmcbirder@woh.rr.com More resources for children's writers will soon be up on the blog.
Source: www.articletrader.com
