Swallows in Odd Places

A couple of years ago, during the height of the pandemic, I was looking for places to bird that weren't overrun with people biking, jogging, or dog-walking; since all the parks were closed (ridiculous since your chance of getting COVID outside was vanishingly small), everyone was desperate for a place to be outside and that meant my usual spots, mostly WMA's which weren't closed, were getting awfully crowded. Looking at Google Maps, I noticed a trail in Burlco, right off Rt 70 that ran along a waterway called Burrs Mill Brook. When I drove down there, I found it to typical Pine Barrens topography-- a sandy road, a stream with old wooden sluices, pines and jack oak. The stream had Green Herons in it, the pines some warblers and flycatchers, and the trail was about a mile long before it ended at the property line of a sand quarry.

Bank Swallow

Sand quarries are scattered throughout the pine barrens. They're filled with water, but because no vegetation grows on the bottom and because they are very deep, they're duck deserts. Because it is all sand, there is no food for passerines. But the walls of the quarries are perfect habitat for Bank Swallows. It wasn't until last year that I climbed over some dead trees to the edge of the property and looked out over the quarry. On the far shore I could see the swallows going in and out of the holes they'd dug into the quarry wall. 

I don't go there very much, but this Sunday, I returned, curious to see if the Bank Swallow colony was an ongoing event. The answer was very much YES. This time they had dug their holes (how these little birds dig such deep holes in sand and not have it collapse on them is one of nature's engineering feats) a little closer to where I stood, though still too far to get any really good pictures. 

Since these sand quarries are scattered throughout the pine barrens, there are probably lots of Bank Swallow nest in them, but this is the only quarry I know of where you can get a good look. I have been told, and I hope it is true, that when they make their nests in sand piles on the quarry grounds, the quarrymen have instructions to leave the mounds alone until the swallows leave. And why not? I can't imagine that one pile of sand is more vital than another pile of sand. 

A couple of days prior to my visit, I was up in Monmouth County for a dental appointment. As the dentist's office was only about 10 minutes away from Ocean Grove, I drove over to Wesley Lake for my annual visit to the arched, stone bridge that crosses the lake, and where, for the last number of years, Cliff Swallows have nested underneath. There are two almost identical bridges on the lake, but they only nest in the one near the swan pedal boats. And why, out of all the possible nesting sites in the area, this is the only place they're found is another enduring mystery. 

When I got there, I found a lot of swallows flying about, but they were of the Barn variety. Then two birders I know pulled up, also on the hunt and in a few minutes, we were able to spot the Cliff Swallows, flying high over the apartment building across the street. Usually, I see them going under the bridge but that day they were feeding at altitude. Although I would like to see their nests, they manage to build them just out of sight due to the overhang of the bridge; it might be worth renting a pedal boat, just to get a look at the nests which are made of dried mud that it require hundreds of trips to build up.