The Swallows are Back

For the last few years, I have had a pair of swallows nesting on my front porch.  Earlier this week, I noticed a cat on my front porch, perched on one of the chairs, eager to pounce.  I looked, and there were bird droppings on the floor.  I overturned the chairs and table on the front porch, so the cats do not have purchase to jump up and try to catch the swallows.  I did not see the swallows that day.  But the last few days, I have seen the swallows flying in and out on my front porch.  I suspect they are repairing their nest, which looks a little distressed on one side, but strong elsewhere.  I am so excited to see the swallows. 

My New Nest

So, I usually work at my computer in the computer room.  I like the office chairs, but I only have two (I still regret not buying a third when I could have at the Resale Center. I need to go back and look for another chair.) Anyway, I usually sit on a card table folding chair. I have a space heater at my feet, and sometimes use a throw or wear an extra light jacket. Sometimes, when a cat is missing, I move to an office chair, as it is more comfortable.

When I felt poorly, recently, I moved my nest to the living room sofa.  I discovered that it actually feels warmer than the computer room, I suspect because the overstuffed sofa helps hold in the feeling of warmth. I also had two throws that kept me very snug, and a space heater near the sofa.  I was doing a lot of reading, because I had the time, and because I could, and because I could fall asleep and recover where I was in the book I was reading. I really enjoyed napping and reading, and napping and reading, and having a bowl of soup and napping and reading.  It was a most comfortable time, in its own way. It was very cold outside, and I was so thankful for a warm nest.

Haiku seemed to like being on the sofa with me.  She likes the computer room when the space heater is on, but she just seemed more content on the sofa with me, and I suspect that if I thought my nest on the sofa was warmer than the one in the computer room, she thought the nest  on the sofa was warmer, too. She also would ask, from time to time, to sit on my lap.  Sometimes, she asked to sit on my lap when I was sitting up, and sometimes, when I was reclining. She just likes to snuggle.  

Taki was less interested, but she would come by from time to time. 

I still use my new nest in the living room.  Sometimes, I sit on the sofa and work on the laptop on a TV tray. Sometimes, I recline on the sofa, with the laptop in my lap.  Sometimes, it is plugged in. Sometimes I am using the battery.  I use all the options I can, except with the printer.  

Although I purchased a printer that had a wireless setup, I never did set up the wireless option.  I have been thinking that I need to poke through the materials and information for the printer, and set it up wireless.  However, it is not much work to go back to the computer room, hook up the printer and print.  

Barn Swallows, The Nest

The barn swallow nest is looking more and more complete.  I am concerned because the mud does not look dried, which makes if more fragile, especially  if we have a major wind or rain event, which the National Weather Service says my occur tomorrow http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lub/ . My hope is the early morning weather may help the nest to dry and solidify before the storms blow in. 

I have seen the birds, and they do not look as distressed as they did the first time I saw them, after the nest was damaged.  I hope that is good news. 

Barn Swallows...Update

When I got home today, I checked the barn swallow nest.  There was fresh mud.  It was not a full half cup of a nest that I know would be most appropriate, but there was fresh mud.  And, if Mama has to lay eggs, it would probably hold them.  But, it needs to have higher walls or else eggs or babies would fall out.

I just checked, and the pair of barn swallows are perched on the conduit. They do not look as distressed as they did last night.  Again, it will not be really cold tonight, so I will not leave the porch light on. 

I hope this little family will be safe and grow happily.

Barn Swallows

This makes me sick, and I do not know what to do. 

I do not use my front porch a lot.  When Mack was alive, he and I used to sit on the front porch a lot. I would roll the TV on its cart so I could watch it, through the storm door, and read or knit. Mack enjoyed sitting in his front yard. The only time he was inappropriate with passersby was when the mailman came through. Or he was threatened by a passing dog. One mailman understood Mack.  One time, a mailman maced Mack, which made him angrier than he already was at the mailman. But mostly, he was okay with the passing traffic, even if it included dogs, as long as they were on a leash.

It is harder for me to sit on the porch with the cats. I used to bring the cat pen out to the front yard, but Sake and Haiku cried plaintively in the pen. So, that stopped. Haiku really does not care to be in the pen, and Sake likes it for an hour or so at a time. 

If I want to just read or enjoy the air, I can use the porch. But I cannot roll the TV around and watch it. If I open the windows so I can hear the TV, the cats pick at the screen on the storm door or the window opening onto the porch. But if I want to hear what is happening on the TV, I need a conduit. I cannot watch TV successfully from the porch any more.

So, I do not use the front porch a lot.  Once in a while I will sit out on the front porch. And, I will use the front porch furniture to rest in when I am doing yard work in the front yard.

Several years ago, I was using my front porch after dark, enjoying the night air, and some young men walking down the street told me they could see me if I could not see them. I took that as a warning about my safety, which is another reason I do not use the front porch like I used to.

Well, last night, late, with the windows open, as I was flossing, I heard a bird commotion on the front porch. I did not know what it was. I assumed it was birds fluttering in to eat the Nandina berries that are left from last year.

Today, I noticed a pile of bird droppings and another pile of mud and other stuff on the porch floor.

So, I went out on the porch this evening, actually to put out some mussel shells around the Nandina growing next to the porch. I looked at the mud droppings, and above, I saw a partially destroyed barn swallow nest.  There was a barn swallow pair sitting on the electric conduit from the porch light to the motion detector light for the yard.  I did not see egg shell pieces in the mud.

I do not know what happened last night, but can imagine one of the wild cats of the neighborhood used my porch furniture as a launching pad to jump up and try to destroy the nest the barn swallow pair was building, and to try to catch a bird.  Too late, tonight, I upended the furniture so there was no easy launching pad.

The birds looked like they may be in shock. What do I know.  They grasped the conduit and sat there motionless.   I was not sure if I should have the porch light on, to give them warmth, or off. It is not that cold out, and I opted for shutting off the porch light, because it might be too much heat for the birds. 

I may have unwittingly set up this scenario.  I read on line that swallows like egg shells and oyster shells. Well, I put out clam shells and mussel shells around the Nandina, when I eat mussels or stuffed clams. I have not meant to set this up, but it is what it is.

I am in hopes the barn swallows can rebuild their nest. There is a source of mud in the alley not too far away 

I will pay attention to what is happening on my front porch.