We walked up to the house and stood some minutes watching the swallows that flew about restlessly, and flung their shadows upon the sunbright walls of the old building; the shadows glanced and twinkled, interchanged and crossed each other, expanded and shrunk up, appeared and disappeared every instant; as I observed to William and Coleridge, seeming more like living things than the birds themselves.
Recollections of a Tour Made in Scotland 1803 by Dorothy Wordsworth
Today
It really is quiet here today. I’m used to the constant twittering outside the front door and noisy squabbles about who will get the biggest insects! Something I won’t miss is cleaning up the inevitable mess that eating so many insects will make!
24th May 2015
When the swallows first started exploring the front door porch, they would perch inside on the ledge at the lower end. As they flew in they would hover for a few seconds before settling on the lower ledge. With a stepladder I was able to get the photos you see in the post; Now That's What I Call Quite Good. One of the benefits of working for yourself and from home is you can spend all day bird watching on a stepladder if you wish!
When they decided to stay they chose to build their nest on the ledge at the highest point inside the porch which was out of sight from within the house. For a few days I wasn’t able to watch the swallows from my stepladder and could only look up at the evolving nest from outside. As soon as I opened the front door they would fly away. So I came up with the bright idea of fixing a small mirror on the lower ledge. I spent ages getting the angle just right and sure enough I was now able to watch the swallows as they flew in and up to their nest. The next morning we came down to a very rowdy altercation outside the front door! Our swallows were trying to persuade another pair of swallows to go and find their own place to nest. I climbed up my stepladder with camera ready only to find one our swallows getting very upset with my mirror, Oh dear! Needless to say the mirror has now gone and so have the trespassing swallows!
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| The offending mirror |
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Thanks.
David.