296. Barn Swallow

We get Barn Swallows flying high over Leaning Oaks, and sadly never stopping by or raising a family  like this group from the Okanagan! And even flyovers are not frequent. 

What one thinks of as a ubiquitous swallow, one that is found nesting on human buildings (...like barns!) , and found over a large range is actually a swallow in trouble. COSEWIC has assessed Hirundo rustica as "Threatened" and it is S3S4 (Blue listed) provincially. Like many other birds that feed on insects, Barn Swallows are experiencing significant and long term declines. that began, seemingly inexplicably in the mid-1980s. There was a 76% decline recorded between 1970 to 2009 across Canada based on Breeding Bird Surveys across Canada!  Factors thought to be contributing to the declines are declines or changes in insect populations, pesticides and loss of habitat in the wintering grounds, and changes in farming techniques that may affect foraging and nesting sites. It would be very interesting to know what the historical numbers were as there are some estimates that approximately 1% of all Barn Swallows use natural nesting sites! (Erskine 1979; Man’s influence on potential nesting sites and populations of swallows in Canada. Canadian Field-Naturalist 93:371-377)

(This is for you Lisa!)

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