[obol] Re: natural nest sites for Barn Swallows
- From: Matthew G Hunter <matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "Paul T. Sullivan" <paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 6 Aug 2013 13:15:09 -0700
I have not seen them myself, but have heard of Barn Swallow nests in caves
in central Oregon and Lava Beds National Monument (N CA). "Birds of Oregon:
A General Reference" doesn't have as much detail as I would like regarding
Oregon examples; just says there are/were some. If anyone in oboland has
personal experience with a Barn Swallow nest on something other than a
human-built structure in Oregon, I would be interested to hear about it.
Matt Hunter
Melrose, OR
On Tue, Aug 6, 2013 at 12:48 PM, Paul T. Sullivan <
paultsullivan@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Matt,
>
> So we have BARN OWLS and BARN SWALLOWS (not to mention Chimney Swifts and
> House Sparrows). What did these species use in the first million years of
> their existence before humans built the structures that became part of our
> name for these birds?
>
> Clearly Barn Owls used cavities in hollow trees and cliffs. Swifts used
> hollow trees. The sparrows are weaver-finches that can build big messy
> nests in trees.
>
> But what is the "natural" nest site for a Barn Swallow? Where would they
> be without porch overhangs, garden sheds, barns eves, and bridges? Good
> question. Kenn Kaufmann (Lives of North American Birds, 1996) says they
> used cliffs or shallow caves. I'm not sure I've ever seen a Barn Swallow in
> a "natural" nest site.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Paul
>
> =================
> Subject: Re: Cliff-nesting Cliff Swallows
> Date: Tue Aug 6 2013 13:21 pm
> From: matthewghunter AT gmail.com
>
> Thanks for the note Marcia. Vague memories are sometimes the source of
> interesting observations, so I appreciate you throwing it out there/here.
>
> The most likely candidate for swallows nesting on/in a hill/cliffside along
> a road in most of western Oregon is actually the Violet-green Swallow. ...
>
> Regarding Barn Swallows, I have never heard of a
> "natural" nest site for Barn Swallow in western Oregon. Anyone else?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Matt Hunter
> Melrose, OR
>
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