Equine Bug Control - Got Barn Swallows?

Bugs really bug horses, they bug people and pets too. Some bugs we need, some we don't. I don't like the use of chemicals to limit the bugs, so I really appreciate the job Barn Swallows  do in controlling insect population around our barn and yard.

It  all started when a solitary pair showed up a number of years ago. Now we have a full barn with the main aisle resembling the flight deck of a battleship. It is small inconvenience to have these masters of air in our lives each spring, the wonderful job they do in bug control really valuable. This season a full 12 nests of babies have hatched and taken flight.

We have plenty, but Swallows are having a tough time and populations are dwindling. Click here to check out Mass Audubon's  research project - If you are in Massachusetts you can help them with the research.
 http://www.massaudubon.org/Birds_and_Birding/birdstowatch/bigbarnstudy/

 The Big Barn Study hopes  to find answers and that will help keep the bugs from bugging you!

For bird identification and high quality photos and info check out  Cornell Lab of Ornithology site at:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barn_swallow/id

an earlier blog for horse lovers:
http://carolynstearnsstoryteller.blogspot.com/2012/06/wild-horses-couldnt-keep-me-away.html