Swallow Saga

 
One morning Johnny was acting very strange. He was still in his paddock and he was neighing and snorting, bucking and stomping. I knew something was up. I threw on a jacket and ran up to the barn. Johnny would not come into the barn for his breakfast as he usually does so I went into his stall to get him. Even then he would not come in.

Then I saw them...three little baby Cliff Swallows in the sand. The swallows had build nests under the barn eaves and the nest had fallen down. The chicks were dusty and dirty and didn't try to fly away so I got a bucket, put some shavings in it and scooped up the babies. Johnny still didn't want to come in the barn and was acting spooked so I wonder if maybe the adults had been diving at him to keep him away from the babies. He finally ran through his stall and out into the pasture and I fed him out there.

I took the babies to the house and tried to wipe them off and get some water into them. Their mouths were very dry and full of dirt. I put them into a basket and started to wonder how to best care for them.

I tried putting the basket back out under where the nest had been and although the adults were around trying to rebuild the nest no one was coming close to the babies. It was a warm day and I was afraid they were getting too warm in the bright sun so I brought them back in the house. My feeding efforts were not going well and I knew they needed nourishment soon. During the night one of the babies died.

The next morning the adult swallows were all around and the two remaining babies were stretching their wings and cheeping loudly so I wondered what would happen if I put them out in the Nandina bush that was close by. Surely the adults would hear the babies.

So this is where I put them, in the bush on the corner. In about an hour I saw the adult birds going into the bush...one, two, three of them, one after the other. They stayed for only a few seconds and then flew away. All day they made trips. Towards evening we went closer to get a look.

They were sure hungry AND the adults were for sure feeding them. That made our day!!!

 

We watched the feeding for about five more days. When I checked, there was only one chick there and two days later the other one had flown away. We feel good to have saved two of the babies and helped the adults get back to taking care of their brood. 

It took Johnny about two days to decide that the barn was OK and no one was going to get him!!!