I had a new family move into my garage. They are quiet but they STARE everytime I walk by.

[Horse with no Name]

[tammywammy]

1. We have doves at work

They come every year and nest in the delivery bay for new cars. The plastic owls we put up last year didn't deter them either.

[Doremus]

2. Awwww, how sweet. What kind of birds are they?

[Horse with no Name]

5. Barn swallows

The mamas dive bomb you every time you get close to the nest.
I got pecked a couple of times taking the pics.:)

[Doremus]

9. How cool! I just love watching nesting birds.

Hey, you could set up a webcam! ;)

[question everything]

11. Many years ago, different state, different city

barn swallows were insisting on building a nest right above the front door.

We would remove it everyday, and by the time we would come home, new foundations were laid.

Finally we just covered the whole area with aluminum foils, and they went someplace else.

I kept telling them to go to the back, not in the front door but to no avail.

As my spouse commented: just as the swallows that come back to Capistrano - very insisting birds.

[murielm99]

27. Oh, it is so wonderful to have barn swallows!

We used to have them, but they seem to have moved off somewhere else. I miss them. I am glad my kids got to see them when they were growing up, even though they had to stay away from the corn crib during nesting season.

Our owls are back. When we moved here, there was a mommy owl who nested quite close to the house. She would dive-bomb my head when I went out the back door. They later moved to the back of our property.

The owls were gone for a few years. I think it was because of our cats. But they are back now. It is fun to watch the mommy teach the babies to fly.

[backscatter712]

30. Just wait until there are chicks in the nest - then you'll get dive-bombed.

When they have chicks, they get really aggressive!

[G_j]

3. are those barn swallows?

the nest looks similar

[Horse with no Name]

10. Yep. Great job in identifying! n/t

[CoffeeCat]

4. Holy buckets...

...those are too cute! What are they? LOL

And that nest...it's more mud than twigs. Very unusual.

The last time an animal lived in our garage, we had a possum! We found it
in one of those wire basket shelves that we had nailed to the wall. It
was curled up and sleeping inside a sleeping bag!

Thanks for sharing those pics. I want to hear more about these creatures.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Barn swallows

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barn_swallow/id

They are fascinating. Their nests last for years (if left intact).
They roll the mud with their beaks and build it mud pebble by mud pebble. It is a considerable amount of work.

[Booster]

22. I found 5 baby possums in my garage one day. Called the

Animal Control to remove them and the guy said they would kill them immediately. I said "nevermind" and I found a "possum lady" on the internet within 3 blocks of my house who took them in to raise. They were soooooo cute no way would I let them kill them.

[CoffeeCat]

25. what a sweet story...

...that is so nice. You saved their lives.

I'm so glad to know that this is what animal control does. We had a possum in our garage (a different
one than the one that was in the sleeping bag!). I did call animal control and they never came out. I'm
glad they didn't!

That possum was hysterical. We built large, wooden shelves in our garage, so I kept some food stockpiles
out there. One day, I noticed that a bag of Goldfish crackers had been ripped open. My husband insisted
that it was a mouse. I could tell from the large rip that this was no mouse! The next night, I heard noises
in the garage, opened the door and saw a huge possum! I called my kids over--who were 3 and 4, at the time--and
they just loved him! We didn't go near him, but my kids named him Cupcake.

Called animal control, but they never came. We just kept the garage door open, and he left.

They sure are adorable. My kids still remember that!

Kudos to you for giving those baby possums to the possum lady. So glad they were saved! :)

[Booster]

31. What struck me funny was the lady thanked me profusely for

bringing them to her and invited me to stop by anytime to see how they were doing. A couple of days later I did stop and took her a bag full of cat food cause she had cats all over the place. I asked her what she would do with the possums and she said when they got big enough she would drive them to a nice area and just let them out. haha Nice lady and thank God I found her cause I wouldn't know the first thing about raising possums. I read a couple of months before that that possums are good and eat grubs, snails, etc., that we're always trying to get rid of. Everything has a purpose.

[dweller]

6. offer them a welcome wagon bread crumb?

they'll introduce you to the kids eventually. I bet they are gone by autumn, and your graciousness will be recognized, and remembered in the spring.

peace
dp

[ContinentalOp]

7. I built my family a new house recently...

but these people keep walking through as if they own the place. I'm not sure how to get rid of them. The other day they pointed a strange box at us and flashed light in our eyes.


:P

they're so cute

[BlueIris]

12. Heh. I love it. Best of luck to the happy nesters. nt

[Solly Mack]

13. Adorable!!!!

The second picture... one is craning his neck sideways at you! lol!

[Horse with no Name]

18. He was probably watching his mama divebomb me for getting too close

LOL! "What you talking about Willis?"

[Nikki Stone1]

14. How cute!

:)

[1]

15. be careful...

barn swallows are devious.

[Horse with no Name]

16. That's awesome!

:rofl:

[merh]

24. if you don't nominate for a DUzy, I will.

:rofl:

those are the cutiest things - they couldn't have found a kinder landlady.

:hug:

[Horse with no Name]

28. Hey there thanks!

I don't know how to nominate for DUZY...so you do it!:blush:

[merh]

29. You copy the link to the thread and the reply post that you think

is clever and funny and you send it to JeffR via a pmail.

I'll be happy to do it, I think that is a hoot.

:hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

17. We've got sparrows in our air conditioner

Man, it sounds like the baby birds are screaming right in the middle of the dining room.

I hope they grow up safe. It's an old wall air conditioner that we don't use, so I don't mind them being there.

[Abecca]

19. LOL

LOL, I thought that you were talking about humans. LOL that is hilarious, they are totally cute.

[PDJane]

20. I remember barn swallows........

I love to watch them fly, they're poetry in motion.

My friend's horned owl has come back this year; I love the pics of those things, too.

[Skittles]

21. you want I should kick some peeping ass, Horse?

lemme at 'em

[A HERETIC I AM]

23. Are you sure you're not naked? n/t

[Digit]

26. Awwww, of COURSE they are peeping at you

Peeps are supposed to watch PEEPle.

Congrats on the new family and thanks for taking in the wildlife.

[sandnsea]

32. lol, I thought you rented your garage to people

and my mouth was open wondering what kind of circumstances in your life would have possessed you...

cute birdies, they look very content.

[Joe the Liberal]

33. Lol you had me for a second there....

Those are cute, how did they get in? are you going to let them stick around?

[Horse with no Name]

35. My garage is open

and they can stay as long as they like...although those little peepers will be leaving the nest sooner than later.
There are actually 3 adults that live in my garage (I have been trying to figure out the family dynamics because I understand that they mate for life...so I am unsure of the dynamic here)...and there are 3 babies (one is shy and ducked)...so very very soon I will have 6 birds dive bombing me everytime I run for my car.:)

[libodem]

34. Man, are they cute

or what? You captured the essence of an intense stare, with those pictures.

[KT2000]

36. Special year here!

I too have barn swallows that nest on my garage every year. They fly south for the winter - Audobon says they go to South America.
They return every year, but this year I was standing in the yard when the group came flying in on arrival. They were chattering to each other loudly and flying around the garage and their old nest.
Gave up a tear or two because it was so special.

Have had many special experiences with these wonderful birds.
Thanks for the pics - they look like a very happy couple.

[Horse with no Name]

37. these are the babies.

And they are adorable.

[Rockholm]

38. Cute...

[Vinca]

39. We've got visitors in our garage, too.

The mama bird has returned every year for the 12 years we've been here. My husband leaves a window open for her.