I have had this swallows nest on my porch ceiling for about 4 years now. I watched them slowly build it one piece of mud/clay at a time slowly revealing the end product.
At first I thought it was a hornet's nest, fortunately one day I managed to catch a glimpse of the swallows in action. So I started following their project with amazement.
Every year around the beginning of spring the swallows return and have their babies. I usually monitor them and watch how they spend the next few month nurturing their young until they are big enough and then they fly off and I dont see them until the following year.
After watching this ritual for the past few years I started reading up about these amazing birds. I learnt that it is in fact the exact same birds that come back to give birth and raise their young.
They fly all the way from South Africa to the UK. They travel an average of around 300 to 400km every day. This really blows my mind that these tiny little birds are able to do something so seemingly impossible.
So now every year at the start of spring I wait to see if they will return. I guess a year will come when they won't, but until then, I feel honoured that they chose my humble abode and felt safe enough to build their house and raise their young at my front door.
The ones I see I think are Barn Swallows, found this extract www.kololo.co.za which best describes the ones who live at my place here in KwaZulu-Natal.
Source: https://www.kololo.co.za/en/the-great-swallow-migration
The European Swallow, also known as the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread of all of its kind, found in Asia, Africa, Europe, America and even some parts of Australia. These are one of the many bird species that migrate to the northern hemisphere in our winter, where they breed. The last view weeks I could see them gathering on roads and trees, getting ready for the long flight north.
Migration
The European swallowβs migration between South Africa and Britain has been tracked since 23 December 1912. A bird was tagged in Staffordshire - a country in the west midlands of England, and later found in KwaZulu Natal β South Africa. In our summer, from October/November, they travel back to the south, after the tasty meals such as insects.
These swallows are seen close to humans, as they use buildings and man-made structures to build their nests. Nests are created from mud and build under bridges, house roofs and barns β this is how they get their second name (Barn Swallow). Before man-made sites were available, they nested on cliff faces or in caves.
When breeding season arrive, the males will actually migrate north before the females. They will create their nests, grow longer tail feathers to attract attention and wait in anticipation for a worthy mate. The longer the tail, the more attractive the male will look to the female, also indicating stronger genes. Thus, females will rather choose the males with the longest tails.
source:
https://www.kololo.co.za/en/the-great-swallow-migration
Happy Monday everyone. Find the beauty.
Ps. If anyone knows more about their habits or other interesting experiences with these birdies let me know.