Remember last summer when our swallows got swallowed by a huge rat snake?  This year they tried again, but their first brood was eaten by blue jays.  Scrub jays, actually, but I suspect most people aren't as bird-geeky as I used to be.  Blue jays are close enough.

That's when they finally got bolder than their predators and built a new nest just 2 feet from our front door.

At first, we gave them a wide berth, trying not to intimidate them unduly.  We worried that their eggs wouldn't hatch because they were frightened away every time somebody hung about the doorway.  They didn't seem to spend enough time in the nest, but lo and behold!  A couple of weeks ago they hatched out 4 babies!

The babies have rapidly gone from tiny, silently bobbing heads to 4 feathered birds, hunched on the edge of the nest, peering down at us curiously as we go about our business.  We've all agreed that they look strangely like tiny vultures, perched over us and fixing us with their gaze.  More specifically, they look like Snoopy when he pretends to be a vulture.  Remember those comics?

Now all bets are off.  The parents come and go every 60 seconds all day long, swooping in to drop a bug in a gaping little mouth, chattering warnings at us as they swoop off again.  They dive and circle through the air, cutting dramatic arcs around the house, under the eaves, and in the living room.

Yes, today our swallows came to visit us in our home.  We're not entirely sure if they were hunting insects in the house, lost, or just paying us back for all the times we invaded their personal space.  The first one caroused through the house for at least 10 laps, passing the open front door countless times.  She finally perched on the curtain rod, panting, and thought about her predicament.  We closed all the interior doors in the house, turned off the ceiling fans, and waited for her to hatch a new plan.  Her second plan was just like the first one.

The kids begged to be allowed to catch her and hold her, but I didn't want to instill any unnecessary fear of humans.  She finally [finally, finally] found her way out, and we breathed a sigh of relief and went back to our business.  Not 5 minutes later, another bird had joined us in the dining room.  Somehow most of the children missed it this time, and the bird immediately settled in the window sill.

Kait and I caught each other's eye, and I gave her a quick nod.  This time, she scooped up the panting swallow - a much smaller one - a baby flying already? - and tossed it out the door.  It soared and dived and swooped outside, like nothing unusual had happened.

We did our best to count the little heads in the nest, but couldn't be sure if it was one of our babies or a stranger.

This morning, it was confirmed.  One happy little swallow was swooping and diving in small beginner's circles around and about the deck, chattering excitedly the whole time while 3 others watched from the nest.  "Show off!" they whispered to each other, but still they watched.

Related posts:

1. Our swallows got swallowed
2. Birds
3. Because who needs a house key?
4. Humming bird experiences
5. Bits and pieces

Filed under: Everyday life