Attract barn swallows.
With a long, forked tail, dark blue-gray wings and a rust-colored belly, the barn swallow is one of the most desirable birds on the farm. Known for controlling unwanted insects, they flit back and forth when any activity stirs up bugs. You can spot them following a farmer as he harvests. Attracting barn swallows is a rewarding project.
Instructions
1. Open the door. Barn swallows got their name because they like to seek an inside shelter to make their home. Old barns and abandoned buildings provide good homes. Leaving an open door encourages them to come in and nest.
2. Cut an opening in an old shed to attract barn swallows. If creating a hole will not damage inside contents, an old shed is a good place to attract these birds. They prefer large entrances but will come in through holes as small as 4 inches in diameter.
3. Build a ledge to attract your feathered friends. An open platform in the top of the structure is a favorite choice for barn swallows. They construct their nests from sticks, mud and grasses before laying eggs to rear their young.
4. Provide wide-open spaces to attract barn swallows. With a diet comprised almost entirely of insects, a barn swallow will cover large areas in search of food. Observe their mid-flight eating patterns as they snatch flying insects with precision. Just don't go too close; they can dive-bomb intruders.
5. Install a birdbath, garden pond or livestock pond to encourage barn swallows to nest on your property. While they will make their home in a barn with no water source close by, they will nest first near water if it is available.
Related posts
Swallows like to nest in the roof of quiet farm buildings.Providing a suitable environment with foliage and nesting material will help attract swallow species, such as the tree swallow and the pur...
Bar swallows create nests out of mud, hay, feathers and grass.Barn swallows live in outdoor structures such as barns, under bridges and in outbuildings. The birds build nests close to the ceilings...
Orphaned baby tree swallows can be successfully hand raised.Spotting a baby tree swallow on the ground, unable to fly, may bring out your inner animal rescuer. Uninjured baby birds with feathers,...
Late in 1967 a shipment of wild Quaker parrots that had been imported to the United States to be sold in pet stores were inadvertently released at Kennedy airport. Since that time wild Quaker parr...
Every backyard bird watcher loves to look out the window to a yard full of feathered natives, busy feeders and crowded birdbaths. But even the most avid bird enthusiasts will tell you that there a...
