Barn Swallows in flight at Mount Moreland

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White Tailed Barn Swallow

By Risto Jäntti

I was today in Kuopio, a town 80 km east of Niinivesi, doing shopping in gardening centers. My friend´s station wagon was full of different plants when we returned to Vesanto. Not only am I swallow-crazy, but also garden-crazy. Of course our northerly location sets certain restrictions, but anyway.

So far I have been able to confirm 7 barn swallow nests, but there are still several swallow pairs whose nests I haven´t noticed yet. Only one pair have made a new nest, others use old ones, rich in amount.

Yesterday, when I was on the balcony watching swallows eat sand on the ground under the balcony, I saw THE white-tailed barn swallow flying past me below the balcony. That bird must be the same white-tailed swallow that astonished us last summer; another same kind of swallow would be too much of a coincidence, wouldn´t it?
Hopefully we will be able to recapture the bird later this year and then we will know for sure. We have recaptured the swallow several times and only this and last year it has had white feathers in the tail, before it had a normal tail. Very interesting!

I will keep you informed about how the swallows´ nesting developes further.

Regards

Risto