Swallows and Blue Birds

Unfailingly every winter there is a family of bluebirds that check out the birdhouse nailed to the fence directly infront of our kitchen window. They come and inspect, clean and attempt to establish residency, however the Bluebird is not a particularly fiesty fellow and four out of five times they are displaced by either house wrens of tree swallows. This year it's a pair of tree swallows that have returned from migration to claimed that particular house.

We enjoy nearly all varities of avian creatures, but the bluebird ranks near the top for the color, cheerful disposition and they're ability to suck up insects. They'll sit alertly upon the top fence board, catch sight of some bug moving amongst the grass, and swoop down to snatch the snack. If they have a brood of babies they slip into their house, drop of the morsel and are right back to the fence board again.

The swallows slurp their dinner on the fly. They dart and swerve, agile flyers through the air swallowing (is that how they got they're name?) as they go. Both breeds are fairly tollerant of us humans and seem to be quite comfortable in the close proximity of birdhouse to human habitation.

Now the swallows have taken over that particular house, the bluebirds have moved down the fence line -- don't worry, we've bird boxes up all along our quarter mile lane. Last time the swallows won out however, they produced only one clutch of young then were done for the summer. The bluebirds will turn out three or four nestings. So, I wouldn't be surprised to see the bluebirds take over the front house again, for they've done so in the past.

I've read and been told that Romania has a world class birding site in the Danube Delta. Nancy and I are not "birders", we'll be content to put up a birdbox where ever it is we are stationed in country and see what manner of bird shows up. If we should have opportunity to visit the Delta though, we'll take our guide to Eastern European Birds along with us.