SWALLOW
(Swaeltjie)
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This cache forms a part of the YWP Bird series.
For a full list of all the birdies CLICK HERE
I DECIDED TO DO THIS BIRD TRAIL IN YELLOWWOOD PARK, SEEING THAT ALL STREETS ARE NAMED AFTER BIRDS. I HOPE PEOPLE WILL BECOME MORE AWARE OF THESE BEAUTIFUL BIRDS WHICH WE SEE EVERY DAY AND TAKE FOR GRANTED... IT OPENED MY EYES.
Don't forget to treat this birdie like you would like your cache to be treated.
Please Bring your own Pen
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QUICK FACTS
Swallows and martins probably spend more time on the wing than any other songbirds in the world.
Authorities believe the first swallows to build nests at the San Juan Capistrano Mission arrived in 1776.
Swallows are among the first migrants in autumn. They gather on wires and bare branches, usually in wetlands or near lakes and rivers. At night many roost in reeds in marshes. In medieval Europe, people believed swallows burrowed into the oozy muck of marshes for the winter. How might that idea have started?
Many baby and parent swallows learn each others voices and stay together over migration. This is one reason why parent birds are so much better at raising their babies than even the most knowledgeable rehabbers.
The Barn Swallow may be the fastest swallow. It's been clocked flying 46 m.p.h. The Barn Swallow is the only North American swallow with a deeply forked tail. It's about 5 to 7 inches long, and weighs 17 to 19.8 grams, or 3/4 ounce.
The oldest American Barn Swallow we know about lived to be 8 years 1 month, but one European Barn Swallow (the same species) lived to be 16 years old.
Barn Swallows build their nests out of mud. The mud becomes shaped like pellets as the swallows pick it up and carry it in their mouths, and if you look closely at a swallow nest you'll see many of the individual mud pellets that make the nest. The nest is heavy, made from a lot of mud, and can be over a foot tall to hold it securely in place on a barn rafter, bridge, or other surface. The open cup on the top of the mass of mud is lined with feathers, horse hair, and other soft items.
HOPE YOU ENJOY THE CACHE