Barn Swallow Mud Nest Just Vanished! (1 Viewer)

[BayouBreeze]

Hoping someone can offer an answer to a perplexing event with our barn swallow nest. For 3 years now we have had a well-built mud nest in the corner of our porch overhang, with a pair returning each year. The nest was in a very dry & protected location, with no predators. My wife & I have enjoyed sitting under the porch watching this pair, from the initial nest building to raising their brood. Last night, my wife glanced up to notice that the nest was no longer there, with only the foundation left. There has been no mud debris on the patio to indicate any active destruction of the nest, which my wife would have surely noticed since she is almost OCD about keeping the patio area clean. It literally looks like the nest was systematically deconstructed and carried away. My wife speculated that maybe the barn swallows had disassembled the nest to build a new one, but I've never heard or read of such behavior. I have been unable to find anything on the internet to explain what could have happened to the nest. Any insights or similar experiences?

 

[Tired]

I don't think they can do that. Dried mud is durable, and would be a huge amount of effort for such little animals to take apart. Also, it would have left a lot of dust on the floor.

Is it possible someone was cleaning and took the nest down? Could it have fallen off and wound up somewhere else, maybe accidentally kicked away? The nests up under the edges of overpasses seem to come off eventually, without anyone to remove them, so I assume that happens to other nests as well.

 

[BayouBreeze]

I don't think they can do that. Dried mud is durable, and would be a huge amount of effort for such little animals to take apart. Also, it would have left a lot of dust on the floor.

Is it possible someone was cleaning and took the nest down? Could it have fallen off and wound up somewhere else, maybe accidentally kicked away? The nests up under the edges

I don't think they can do that. Dried mud is durable, and would be a huge amount of effort for such little animals to take apart. Also, it would have left a lot of dust on the floor.

Is it possible someone was cleaning and took the nest down? Could it have fallen off and wound up somewhere else, maybe accidentally kicked away? The nests up under the edges of overpasses seem to come off eventually, without anyone to remove them, so I assume that happens to other nests as well.

of overpasses seem to come off eventually, without anyone to remove them, so I assume that happens to other nests as well.

I don't think they can do that. Dried mud is durable, and would be a huge amount of effort for such little animals to take apart. Also, it would have left a lot of dust on the floor.

Is it possible someone was cleaning and took the nest down? Could it have fallen off and wound up somewhere else, maybe accidentally kicked away? The nests up under the edges of overpasses seem to come off eventually, without anyone to remove them, so I assume that happens to other nests as well.

Yeah, I totally agree about the sturdiness of these little mud castles, which is why we were shocked to see it gone. My wife & I live on a secluded lot with a fence and locked gates, so nobody even had access to the back porch area. Also, the nest was within 4 feet of the back door, so we would have had to walk through any debris if it had been knocked down or even fallen off. Definitely perplexing. Thanks for the reply.

 

[karen w]

Hoping someone can offer an answer to a perplexing event with our barn swallow nest. For 3 years now we have had a well-built mud nest in the corner of our porch overhang, with a pair returning each year. The nest was in a very dry & protected location, with no predators. My wife & I have enjoyed sitting under the porch watching this pair, from the initial nest building to raising their brood. Last night, my wife glanced up to notice that the nest was no longer there, with only the foundation left. There has been no mud debris on the patio to indicate any active destruction of the nest, which my wife would have surely noticed since she is almost OCD about keeping the patio area clean. It literally looks like the nest was systematically deconstructed and carried away. My wife speculated that maybe the barn swallows had disassembled the nest to build a new one, but I've never heard or read of such behavior. I have been unable to find anything on the internet to explain what could have happened to the nest. Any insights or similar experiences?

This has happened to us this year. Our shed swallows had one brood which we think fledged successfully. The nest has since completely disappeared with no remnants on the floor or anything! We are equally mystified.