BARN SWALLOW
SR
Like bluebirds and robins, the barn swallow has adapted so well to mankind that it almost seems to be a domestic bird, particularly in the country where it moves into barns and out-buildings to construct a bowl-shaped nest of mud, mixed with straw and lined with feathers. In this locale, the twittering as parent birds move to and from a nest is akin to the clucking of hens and the crowing of roosters. Nests also are built under docks, bridges and other water-related spots. Sad to say, the little ones that fall from these areas do not last long, destroyed by fish, turtles, water snakes or drowning.
The barn swallow has a distinctive, forked tail and it is called a fork-tail swallow in many parts of the country. Clad in a handsome suit of steel blue with a vest of bright chestnut brown and a cravat of dark blue, it is the most colorful of all swallows. A strong, swift and graceful flyer, it uses the deep fork in its tail for intricate maneuvering.
In late afternoon it sweeps across fields, ponds and open streams in a constant quest for insects. At times, the lithe flyer dips low to drink on the wing. Many times I have seen fish strike at him but always too late.
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