They were almost ready to leave home. The family had been trying to encourage them to move out.
And then the door to their home seemed to have been widened despite working so hard to reduce it when they’d all returned in the spring… and two little bodies were huddled together on the balcony, dead, and we wondered what could have happened.
The following evening, watching from the front door, the adults had at last returned home and were watching from their doorway. The next moment in swoops a noisy neighbour who grabs an adult by the scruff of the neck and throws it out! It would seem the culprit had been found and there was rivalry and murder on our balcony!
We don’t know whether the swallows will start another brood, but they have set to work on a new nest a couple of feet from the old one. And I don’t think the house sparrows will ever be cute again!
Twinkle Twinkle
2 weeks ago
4 comments:
It's so difficult watching the bird tragedies unfold, isn't it? My poor little bluebirds were tormented by a mockingbird and a robin who also had nests nearby.
sounds brutal. I didn't realise house sparrows could be so nasty.
I woke at 4 in the morning to worry about this post! Swallows, of course, don't have 'doors' as they live in an open hand shaped nest. Our birds, who do have a 'door' (albeit permanently open), are house martins.. otherwise the brutal story is accurate! And the new nest is looking good so far.
It breaks my heart when my horrible cats kill a bird. Nature, I know, and I love the cats, but so brutal.
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