10th generation barn swallows

for at least the past ten years, barn swallows have made a nest above the light on our back deck. every year, after the babies fly away, and the nest is deserted, i power wash it down and clean the poopish what-not off my siding and deck. and every year, the swallows come back.


the only way i know these are barn swallows is because julie told us they were. (she's an ornithologist extraordinaire.) juj also explained the cloacal kiss to me this spring ~ i was always curious as to how birds actually had sex (uh, that sounded a little strange). at any rate, here are the little by-products.


last year, one of the babies had not mastered the art of flying, and died about two feet from the nest on our deck. i'm curious to see how long before all of our babies fly away this year. kate and ian are always a little sad to see them go.