Home Run for Cliff Swallows
Western New Mexico University, and the nests were sprayed down. Again. One thing in life we can be sure of is that everything changes. With the change in university administration, I took a chance to speak with Fermin Lopez from the maintenance department. I explained that the swallows were on campus when the students were away for the summer. I mentioned that the Cliff Swallows, which nest right outside our door, represent the wildlife that extends to the 3.3 million acres that make our area so special. I explained that the swallows consume large amounts of insects, which can be a nuisance to humans. I added that once the birds migrate, the nests could be sprayed down to prevent House Sparrows from nesting and to control ectoparasites. To my surprise, Mr. Lopez agreed and said the nests could stay! He was understanding and kind. My team and I were thrilled. We wrote Fermin a thank-you letter and gave him a close-up photo of a Cliff Swallow.
Fast forward to the present. The Cliff Swallow monitoring team meets every two weeks to observe the birds and track their breeding biology. The nest count so far is 201 nests with nestlings present across the campus. The adults are busy finding food for the nestlings, whose appetite increases each day. We estimate that two nestlings will fledge from each nest, totaling 402 young Cliff Swallows entering the world.
The number of successful nests has decreased by nearly 35% compared to previous years, possibly because House Sparrows have already taken over many nests, and swallows generally don’t use these nests. Once the swallows leave for winter around August 15th, all nests on campus will be sprayed down, giving the swallows a fresh start when they return in spring 2026. Each year, we learn something new. A dedicated team member made an exciting discovery: that swallows sometimes use dried grass to line their nests. Photos were taken to document this, and literature was found to support the observation. Well done! Every year brings a new revelation, making watching these agile flyers even more enjoyable!
by Carol Ann Fugagli
