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spedigrees

House Finch/Barn Swallow standoff, sort of

12 years ago

A number of years ago a pair of house finches nested under the eaves of our front porch and raised a bunch of babies. Since that time barn swallows have nested each year in the same place.

This year a pair of house finches arrived and refurbished last year's swallow nest. The female finch is sitting on eggs.

Now the weird part: a pair of barn swallows showed up last week and the two of them fly about through the porch during the day, and at night they roost on the sill next to their old nest, now the property of the house finches.

I had expected a fight over the nest with one or the other species prevailing, but not this apparently peaceful co-existence. Are the swallows waiting until the nest is vacant again after the finches hatch out and fledge??? Has anyone ever witnessed such a thing?

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