Spitler/Cannon wrote:
snip
> Where did Barn Swallows nest before humans started building barns and the
> like?

A long-long time ago when people lived in caves. One of them (his name
was Barney) said "My cave is not big enough for all the junk I have
collected at the cave sales. I think I will build a small cave out of
rocks to store all my good junk in.

At that time there were only CAVE SWALLOWS. A CAVE SWALLOW saw Barney's
storage cave and said "I think I will build my nest on the outside of
the storage cave and get away from all the smoke that is inside the cave
from those people cooking dead things.

When the Audobon Society (a fledgeling organization at the time) heard
that this swallow had built a nest on the outside of Barney's storage
cave, they split the species, and from that time on that bird was called
the BARN SWALLOW, named after Barney the cave man. :-)

Seriously--The "BIRDERS HANDBOOK" A Field Guide To The Natural History
Of North American Birds says this. "Nest: Usually plastered on LEDGES
and walls of building, occasionaly in CAVE, culvert, under bridge, or in
CLIFF crevice; of mud pellets, straw, heavily lined with feathers. Built
in 7-14 days."

BTW--Thanks for the information on the CANYON WREN.

Jerry Converse
Grand Coulee, WA