Unexpected Guests

They arrived unexpectedly and without any luggage.  All they wanted was a room for a couple of weeks.  They would even furnish their own food.

How could we refuse such a request?  We had a few vacant rooms and they did look a bit weary after their long trip northward, so of course we invited them to stay for as long as was necessary.  They promised to be as quiet as possible and said that they’d be in and out quite a bit as they had some ‘business’ to attend to.  We told them to carry on and to try not to mind our comings and goings either.

They chose this vacant room, perched atop our clothesline pole that is attached to our deck and about 5’ away from our patio doors.

I’m not sure if that’s Mr. or Mrs. Tree Swallow perched on top of their interim residence.

He/she is exercising extreme patience, waiting until everything appears safe before entering.  This little ritual can take up to five minutes or longer.

If you click on the photo you can see either Mr. or Mrs. peeking their head out, checking once again to ensure that there is no eminent danger before they make a sortie to look for food.

Here’s what they look like up close and personal.  The color on their backs is a vibrant neon blue and they’re about the same size as a Goldfinch.

They’ve been in residence for almost two weeks now.  The first 3 to 4 days was spent building the nest which was no easy task given the fact that the opening to the birdhouse is not that large.  We don’t think that the eggs have hatched because we haven’t heard any noise from within.

They know that they’re welcome to stay for as long as they want and they definitely aren’t as skittish with our comings and goings into the backyard as they were when they first arrived. 

Isn’t nature amazing?

Kaaren