I just stumbled upon this post as I try to prevent the recurring problems from Barn Swallows again this year. Unfortunately, the image is no longer available and I cannot see how you hung the netting. We have a colony of Barn Swallows that roost at our apartment building each year. The landlord hates them, but a former tenant had posted signs everywhere about how it was illegal to remove the nests. It was only through my own research that I realized it was only illegal while eggs or babies were in the nests, and those tenants moved out this winter. In addition to nesting on top of our buildings lights, covered walkways, and eaves, my apartment and the one next door have outdoor entrances from our gorgeous courtyard and patio which have covered stairwells. Each year, the swallows fly through these two stairwells like its the Lincoln Tunnel, dive bombing anyone who tries to walk on the stairs. They build their nests on the outlet boxes or porch lights. The first summer we lived here, I thought it was really neat to have such a close view of their lives, as I would often sit on my steps and could watch the babies as they grew, taking great care to be quiet and non-threatening. However, I also found that my porch steps and exterior wall were covered with bird droppings. They are also very very noisy when there is an entire colony of them outside of your windows. All of the "teenage" birds hang out in one of our courtyard trees outside of my window, which my cat loves but can actually drown out any conversation or television in our living room. Then I experienced what I thought were bed bugs in our house. I had tiny bites head to toe and could constantly feel them crawling on me despite rarely being able to see anything. It got so bad that I was getting the bites infected from itching all the time, and I couldn't sleep because I could feel the bugs crawling on my skin as soon as I tried to relax. I finally captured a few and took them to the University's Department of Entymology, who identified them as bird mites. That experience was HORRIFIC. I was ready to burn our entire building down after reading that the bird mites multiply much more quickly than bed bugs and are nearly impossible to remove. Luckily, the mites died off when the birds finally left for the season, but I can no longer sit outside on my wooden stairs because I fear contracting them again. The next spring, I tried the knock-down method, just on my own stairwell. I would open my screen door 2 inches and use a broom handle to knock down the nests up to 7 times a day. The swallows became very agitated, and and two attacked my daughter's head when she got home from school one of the days. I couldn't sit inside and repeat this process forever, though, and they got their nest up one day while I was off at a 12 hour work shift. The outlet covers they use are too high up to see into, and I knew that some other nests already had eggs, so I couldn't knock it down, more out of compassion than fear of charges. This will be our third summer here. Our elderly landlord has given up trying to prevent them from nesting even in the building entryways. I have removed my porch light cover so there is no solid surface to nest on, but the outlet box cover is too high up and I can't put a ladder on the stairs to reach it. I have considered trying to throw a cotton ball soaked with peppermint oil up there (it has worked in the past for mice and spider problems), or hanging a bunch of cut aluminum as a mobile at the top of the steps (I have heard that the reflections off the metal scare birds off), but I simply can't go through another year of this if those methods don't work. I saw that I could use something to create a 45% slope where the nest to prevent them, but again... getting up there is an issue. I am curious to see how you used the mesh. Could you please share the picture again?

You might check to see if you have an Audubon Society branch in the area. I'm sure they would advise you on what to do at this point. If there isn't an office in the area you could call a more distant Audubon office. In the meantime, might the babies eat mealworms?(the ones people buy for their feeders). Also, I took care of some baby birds for a friend once (don't know how that happened) and I was instructed to give them chopped up pieces of cooked scrambled egg. They liked it. Also, you could try giving them water with a medicine dropper if you are concerned about the heat in the barn. I don't know much about birds but it sounds like something has happened to the parents. I would think that their being gone for four days is a bad sign. From what I've heard birds are generally very good parents. You are so goodhearted to take this on. I hope you can get some sound advice that will relieve you about this and resolve the babies' situation. Good luck -

Interesting read and I will have to look for the books at the bookstore to see what equipment is used. Any liquid can be mixed with the various thickening agents available to be used as a drink. Once pureed or as a liquid unflavored gelatin can be used to form a more solid substance. A caution on the varying thickening agents is that some form a jell around the thickening agent particles, type used in husband's NH, while others will thicken the liquid into a mass. Each person who needs thickening may need to try several before they can find one that they do not object to. Friend Charley had to try several to find one that he could tolerate and did not upset his digestive track.

I've had SO many butterflies in my garden the summer! They appear to utterly adore my phlox and I've had a LOT of phlox in bloom. It's just now coming to an end. I love phlox - so pretty in a garden. The bees have had a field day on all my hosta blooms (I also have a LOT of hosta in both the front and back gardens!).