We Aren't the Only Ones to Give Up Living in Caves: Barn Swallows in Southwest Washington

Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) are one of the most widespread species on the planet, with a range that includes North America and Eurasia in the summer season, and Africa and South America in the winter season. Only Antarctica (for obvious reasons) and Australia lack large permanent populations. I see them often at home, but on our recent trip to the Pacific Northwest we saw them at many of our stops, but at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge in Washington State one cooperated with photography efforsts by landing on a parking lot sign.

There were also a number of them resting on the entrance station at Cape Disappointment State Park in the southwest corner of the state.

Barn Swallows are one of those species that have altered their behavior in response to human activity. Their natural tendency is to nest in caves, but with the expansion of barns and other human habitations throughout their native environment, they now almost exclusively build their nests in human structures.

It will be a sad enough day when they disappear from our region in the fall, but it's nice to know that they will be back next year.

Barn Swallows on the Oregon-Washington Coast

There are several birds that I see often but have a hard time capturing in a photograph. The Steller's Jays in the last post are an example. Today we visit with another, the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica). They are common around the irrigation canals around my home, and they are indeed abundant all over the country (in summer; in winter they are found all over South America). But they don't stay still! They swoop and soar all over the place, and only occasionally stop to rest.

I finally caught a few taking a break during my summer vacation along the Pacific Northwest coast. Several were perched on the roof of a house in Florence, Oregon, and a few days later I found another building a nest in the eaves of the restaurant at Kalaloch Resort on the coast of Washington in Olympic National Park.

The birds are great aerial acrobats, chasing myriad numbers of bugs in the air. Their flying ability also shows in their extensive migrations from South America to North America and back again. They are also adaptable. They once built nests primarily in caves, but fewer do so now. They've taken over eaves and bridges wherever humans develop a landscape.

They are beautiful colorful birds, at least when they sit still long enough for you to get a good look!