From: Linda B <llbart at scn.org>
To: Tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Subject: Cliff Swallows
Date: Friday, May 12, 2000 10:06 AM

A lady has just phoned me for advice & I'm wondering if anyone out there in
Tweeterland has had any experience with an interesting situation like this.
Seems this lady lives in a 2-story condo next to "The Lakes" in the Kent
valley, and she has 18 cliff swallow nests in various stages of construction
along one side of her house. She returned from being out of town on May 2nd
when she first noticed them. She has a neighbor with a completed nest that
has the tube-type opening at the bottom--hers aren't that far along yet.

Altho she thinks the cliff swallows are beautiful birds and doesn't want to
hurt them, she says they really do not want the messy droppings that are
accumulating on the house below and, secondly, she has had a history of
childhood histoplasmosis which she understands is carried by bird droppings.

An exterminator will remove the nests for $300 and will put up screening for
$2,000 to prevent future nest building which she finds excessive.

Any suggestions?

Linda B.
Kent