Swallows heading south
- Laura Wayte
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
In the spring I wrote a post about the barn swallows arrival on our farm. Now it's time to say goodbye.
Swallows make a long migration of thousands of miles. The breed ranges all the way to Alaska and as far south as Patagonia. Our birds are thought to winter in Western Mexico and Central America.
We enjoy our barn swallows and feel grateful that we can offer them habitat during the spring and summer. This is despite the fact that they are a nuissance on our barns and must be managed. The benefits are that they control the insect population.
They are currently getting ready to fly south to Central and South America. You can tell they are about to move on because they are gathering in large flocks on trees and wires, practicing their flying and feeding skills with the young, and fattening up on the great bounty of summer insects.
"One day soon, they'll just be gone," said Christine Deck.
