Friday morning I noticed the barn swallows that nest under the eaves over the summer were back. Then in the evening we picked up Ricci, Eliacin, Catie and Gabriel from the airport. Maybe the 2 events are not really connected but in some ways the swallows are as much a part of our community as the people that live in it. They come every year and their numbers are growing as the offspring from the first few seasons are also returning to nest. Unfortunately one pair chose the spot just above our front door for their nest and we didn’t realize it until it was full of eggs. By the end of the season the bird droppings were everywhere. However it did not seem to deter our many visitors and I definitely noticed there were less wasps and mosquitos around. Evidently a nesting barn swallow eats up to 8000 insects a day – better than any sophisticated electronic zapper I ever heard of and definitely more beautiful.
