Cliff Swallows in action: BOTW & RDP

I’ve always liked watching Cliff Swallows in action. Cliff Swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, live in colonies located in building eaves, bridges, dams, culverts, trees, cliffs, and caves. Their colonies often contain 200-1,000 nests.

Both sexes build nests by collecting mud pellets in their bills and then molding them in place. The gourd-shaped nests they create contain 900-1,200 of these pellets.

Mud is gathered along streambanks, lakesides, and puddles.

The Schoolhouse Lake Wildlife Viewing station, shown below, is located at Summer Lake Wildlife Area in Oregon. It doesn’t contain hundreds of nests, but it’s a great place to view Cliff Swallow nests up close.

Here’s a short video of Cliff Swallows in action flying around their nests on this building. Swallows in flight are mesmerizing and full of grace.

Cliff Swallows live in parts of North America, Central America, and South America. They are widespread with relatively stable populations.

Birds of the Week (BOTW)

Ragtag Daily Prompt (RDP) – Grace

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