### indefinite mouthful:

Swallow
* Watch for mixed swallow species that band together in large flocks of one thousand or more.
* abound, especially during spring and fall migration.
* also hunt flying insects.
* are able to obtain food while migrating
  - adept aerialists, darting to catch flying insects
  - beneficial birds that consume large quantities of insects
  - colorful, acrobatic flyers that catch insects on the wing
  - consumption
  - especially nice to attract since they consume mosquitoes
  - similar to Pawns in Shogi
  - singles
  - small, graceful birds with long, pointed wings, tiny bills, and small feet
  - superior flyers, and they take virtually all of their food on the wing
  - taste
* are, again, frequently sighted near their rocky nesting area.
* begin massing near the lagoons, taking advantage of the summer's insect hatch.
* can build an almost perfectly round nest out of mud.
* come every year.
* commonly nest in colonies.
* consume enormous quantities of flying insects and are, in fact, an asset to our area.
* eat flying insects.
* flit low over the water to snatch insects or take a quick sip on the wing.
* fly so fast and are so numerous that they can be hard to identify
  - very Low over land
* go there once a year and humans follow.
* have long, narrow wings, forked tails, and weak feet.
* leave as the supply of insects declines.
* like to nest near other swallows.
* love to perch on the old aqueduct and to swoop over the creek's waters, feeding on insects.
* migrate south for the winter.
* repair old or weakened nests which last for many years.
* spend more time in the air than any other songbird.
* use their forked tails to make quick dips and turns while chasing insects.
* usually nest close to man
  - stay with the same mate for life
+ Bird nest, Types of nests, Adherent nests: Birds
  * Swallows can build an almost perfectly round nest out of mud. They put little balls of mud in their mouth and mix it with their saliva, making a special clay. As it dries, it becomes hard.
+ Bird, Behaviour, Nesting:
  * Once the birds have found partners, they find a suitable place to lay eggs. The idea of what is a suitable place differs between species, but most build bird nests. Robins will make a beautiful little round nest of woven grass and carefully line it with feathers, bits of fluff and other soft things. Swallows like to nest near other swallows. They  make nests from little blobs of clay, often on a beam near the roof of a building where it is well sheltered. Many birds like a hollow tree to nest in. Eagle's nests are often just piles of dead wood on the top of the tallest tree or mountain. Scrub Turkeys scratch together a huge pile of leaves that may be 10 metres across. Guillemots lay their eggs on rock shelves with no nest at all.

### indefinite mouthful | swallow:

Barn swallow
* are Neotropical migrants
  - able to feed their young on the fly
  - about six to seven and one half inches in length
  - sexually dimorphic
  - the best known of swallows in the Red River Valley
* build their nests in man made structures.
* build their nests of mud and twigs
  - pellets
* eat only insects.
* have individual songs and they often sing as a chorus.
* live in harmony with other species of swallows occupying the same garden.
* spend a large amount of time in the air and have unusually strong flight muscles.

Cliff swallow
* are among the native species that benefit from human presence
* construct mud nests on the cliff walls, as do hawks and eagles.
* exhibit similar behavior.
* make their nests out of mud primarily beneath the edges of barn roofs.
* spend the winter months in South America.