swallows

[locum76]

not exactly bushcrafty but last night two swallows flew into my kitchen (when i was doing the dishes) via the open backdoor fromy garden. by the looks of it they'd just dared each other to see which one could get the furthest into the house without gatting caught.

i was wondering if any of the rest of you had an unexpected close proximity with nature in unusual circumstances recently?

 

[Ogri the trog]

Yep,
They regularly try to build a nest in our back porch. That is until they're thwarted by the amount of human traffic that goes to have a look.

Just lucky I guess.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[JonnyP]

not exactly bushcrafty but last night two swallows flew into my kitchen (when i was doing the dishes) via the open backdoor fromy garden. by the looks of it they'd just dared each other to see which one could get the furthest into the house without gatting caught.

i was wondering if any of the rest of you had an unexpected close proximity with nature in unusual circumstances recently?

They would of done that prospecting for a nest sight. I am in the process of putting the roof on an oak framed building, it is felt and battoned and just needs the tiles on to complete. The swallows have a nest in there already, no hanging about.................Jon and before any of you ask, no I am not a slow builder who takes years to complete a project

 

[swyn]

The swallows (I think that they were a young pair) built a nest in our small barn last year on top of the light in the roof. They re-enforced the mud with horse tail hair (sorry Toddy) which is 3' long dangling from the nest. They then left. This year they have finally taken up occupancy. They regularly dive bomb the puppy and if any of us enter to get anything they dive out of the nest and out of the entrance so fast that all you get is the air draft from their flight past you. I hope that Mrs has eggs so that when there are young they too will build there too and we can have a row of nests. We are thinking of putting up a ledge either side of the light when they have migrated in the autmn to assist further development.
I must comment on this dry weather not being ideal for mud nest building as there seems to be very little mud about, even earlier in the year. I know one lady who has purchased some purpose built nests and fixed them to her soffit. she has a very successful colony. The nests are not cheap but when they are all occupied who cares! Swyn

 

[fred gordon]

Not exactly recent but, when I was a kid I came home from school to find a seagull standing on the rack above the gas cooker. My mother wasn't very pleased as it had releaved itself into the pie she was cooking for our tea! Managed to get the gull outside OK, as I remember, and it flew off.

 

[JonnyP]

Not exactly recent but, when I was a kid I came home from school to find a seagull standing on the rack above the gas cooker. My mother wasn't very pleased as it had releaved itself into the pie she was cooking for our tea! Managed to get the gull outside OK, as I remember, and it flew off.

How was the pie................Jon

 

[philaw]

I saw a couple of swallows outside our house yesterday fo the first time in ages. I guess that lots of young ones have fledged recently, so the skies are busy.

 

[torc]

Some years ago my friend's dad (sadly now deceased) was heading up a project to renovate a local castle. Just before completion he let us onto the roof battlements because upon opening this area would be off limits to all but the castle's manager.
I looked through the gap in the corner of the windward side of the battlements and saw several swallows riding on the strong wave of air passing around the castle sides just a meter or two away from me.
Mere words cannot describe the beauty of these 'stationary' birds so closely observed in full flight.
Also some years back when trekking on mt. Meru in N.Tanzania I remember one particular evening at about 3500m. being entertained by there aerobatic skills in an area so high and barren even the cr*p didn't have flys on it.
By the time I made it back to Europe I thought it was nice that they were there before me to welcome me home.
Happy trails.......Torc.

 

[sxmolloy]

My back yard is the home of a 3 legged frog

The story goes a little like this:

Approx 1 year ago I took my 5 year old son to our local park to catch tadpoles. We managed to get loads so decided to take 3 or 4 home to show mummy.

We put them in a bucket in the back yard with a few bricks so when they grew into frogs they were able to get out of the water to breath. I Before I knew it they had changed and seemed like happy little frogs in a bucket. I noticed that one of the frogs only had 3 legs and didnt have much hope for its survival.

I planned to let them go back at the pond, but before I could they had either escaped, or been eaten by birds.

I thought no more of until a few days ago I was testing my feather stick lighting ability with my firesteel when I noticed something move out of the corner of my eye. Upon further inspection I managed to catch a very healthy and lively 3 legged frog .

Since then I have seen it a few times, but never any of the others (with 4 legs). Don't know where the 4 legged ones are but the 3 legged one seems to be doing much better for itself!

 

[stovie]

....... and before any of you ask, no I am not a slow builder who takes years to complete a project

It's not raining, is it?

 

[swyn]

As the swallows young have now grown we can see that there are four nestlings. They have got so big in the last week I'm surprised that they can still fit in their nest. The adults are now not wary of any of us now in their frantic rush to feed them and come within inches of our heads as they swoop in through the opening. It will be fun to watch the little ones as they take their maiden flight, I'm sure that this will be soon now. Swyn