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July 22, 1962 - Barn Swallows Barn Swallows Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Melita Hofmann of Orient. Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh, Cutchogue By JUDD BENNETT Anytime the allure of a fine clear day makes being indoors a resented chore it is difficult not to, at least, listen to the busy sounds of the birds outside. There is a strong appeal in the chirp - ings. Soon enough the time ar- rives when a glance from the window is not so good. T h a t moment of going out always has a hope -- a hope that, by chance, something a trifle out- side the ordinary will be seen. One day, after my usual cau- tious window check, a glimpse of gatthered birds made me for- get everything -- all but t he dozens of swallows flying high in the sky. It is a treat to just watch — the swallows fly so beautifully with grace and ease. While I checked to see if all were Barn Swallows, two with real speed, zoomed repeatedly so near I could have touched them. They traced the same flight -path over and over and moved so rapidily I could see little of the individual birds until they tired and alighted on the eaves over the opened door. The two stay- ing so close Together appeared to be a mated pair just wandering around with the flock. I hoped they wouldn't too hastily decide that my Douse was an old barn. ' After that day Barn Swallows just seemed to come forth from all directions or — so it ap- peared. Days later others in pairs spent time resting a n d judging. Then, out' of the blue, there came a call from a young friend — asking. if I'd like to come down and see, at c I os e range and under the best of con= dibons, a very busy bunch of Barn Swallows established in barns bordering the marshes at the very tip of. the Island. This would be a.reaf'pleasure, a treat and fun. I started out but stopped on the way just long enough to be, right then and there, offered — for adoption two loveable half - grQwn Barn . Swallow fledglings, recently orphaned and now being oared for with devotion. Such an unusual responsibility would mean nothing short of hourly of- ferings of 'tiny cuts of beef im- paled on toothpicks. With c a r e this can be successful. Once again headed for t h e barnyard I tried to recall what I might know about the .swallows. Certainly, over the ages, 't-he .Barn Swallow has become just a little short of being domesticat- ed and we could conclude, be- cause of this, is a favored bird - a rain forecaster too. Among the smaller birds not many are much better known and almost all who take and notice whatso. Baer of birds find. themselyes ,ad- miring their graceful flight and their endearing traits of friendli- ness and bravery. This one is the swallow with the familiar true "swallow tail." And, this one is the swallow so handsome and sleek whose upper parts are colored a wonderful glossy pur- ple - tinted b l u e i s h black and whose under parts are colored a rich chestnut and cinnamon buff. The nut brown colors are on the throat, the forehead and the upper breast. That would be for the beautiful male — the fe- male is very similiar bu't' with under parts colored a d e e p cream or whitish -tan and, with a tail much less deeply forked. Barn Swallows, when off and away from the barns, fly over lowlands, meadows and fields. They do a short of hawking to catch insects. Frequently they are seen also about the marsh- lands gathering food in the air over the grasses and water. There are times when their heads are dripping wet with pond water in this different try for i n s e c t s moving on the surface of still calm ponds. The Kingbird and Phoebe do the same thing. I remember inquiries about th i s act being done only for a drink. They do not need that m u c h water. Long before the buildings of farms were around Barn Swal- lows nested in varied caves and tree cavities and still do way up north. When winters comes they have been in the tropics f o r months. In the going and coming they will when necessary 'travel over water and should a boat be spotted down below will some- times stop for a rest in the rig - gings much to the delight of bored sailors. The barns I we-it 'to see were alive with Barn Swallows. There were several nests in the two buildings and, as usual, they were made of mud with entwined grass and had feathers, • snowy -white, fringing and lining t h e rounded cups. The feathers are always from chickens. That is a must. Absolutely nothing else will do. If they are hard to find desperate swallows will boldly steal them from anywhere — even from the middle of, an ac- tive hawk nest. These are an important "special" and must be found. One of the men at the barns said the feathers we could see were those of a Herring Gull. I checked — not so, Barn Swallows are completely unable to alter, in any way, this deeply rooted instinct. Any place barren of chicken feathers would have no swallows. They c o u l d get along easier without the barns. In the nest they put three to six._ _M whic>,l- are all -w h i t e spottedly colored by dottings of lavender and brown. While talk- ing about their. swallows the men told of seeing t6lie parents shove grown young roughly out of the nest - -= 'told of the birds going into frantic worry when the doors were accidently closed and, how they formed to hover and com- plain around the main h o u s e protesting loudly until the Boss came out 'to set thing§ to rights. With the entrances again open all is suddenly calmed to t h•e usual busy activity. This good man knows at once what has happened. My trip was very worthwhile. A personal highlight was rioting the evident deep regard, along with warm concern, these work- ing men had for their swallows. Only recently I had been mildly puzzled about my friends a n d their keen enthusiasm f o r t h e family of swallows but, am no longer — I am with 'them. FIELD OBSERVATIONS Ranlom Reports: July Jamaica Bay Glaucous Gull Laughing Gull East Marion Orchard Oriole Bluebird White - Throated . Sparrow Cedar Waxwing Carolina Wren Black- Billed Cuckoo Greenpart Pine Warbler Carolina Wren Orient Prairie'Horned Lark Least Tern (with young)