Unusual Nesting Places

     On May 11 of this year, I was doing errands at a shopping mall near the Little Conestoga Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  As I drove through a parking lot behind a store, I saw a rough-winged swallow, carrying a bit of dead grass in its beak, zip across the lot and under a transport trailer used for storage by the store.  A few seconds later the swallow darted, empty-beaked, back to the creek.  The swallow repeated that performance several times while I watched.
     Rough-wings usually raise young in burrows they dig in stream banks, or use abandoned kingfisher tunnels in those same banks.  Some pairs of these swallows hatch offspring in drainage pipes in bridges that resemble holes in stream banks.  But a rough-winged pair attempting to rear babies on a shelf under a trailer is new to me.  And it made me think of other unusual nesting places I have seen by other small, native and adaptable bird species over the years. By nesting in odd sites, as well as in traditional ones, these birds have increased their populations.    
     Most swallow species nest in unusual situations.  Barn and cliff swallows originally raised young in the mouths of caves and on rocky cliffs.  But today they also hatch chicks in mud pellet nests they plaster on outside walls under roofs, and on support beams in barns and under bridges.      
     Tree swallows traditionally nested in deserted woodpecker holes and other tree cavities in open habitats near water, but now they also hatch babies in bird boxes erected for them and bluebirds.  But I have seen a couple pairs take their adapting even farther.  Years ago I saw a pair feeding offspring in the air intake of an inboard motor boat in Avalon, New Jersey.  The boat had not gone out for several weeks according to a dock attendant, and the tree swallows used the sheltering hole in the boat as a nursery.
     I've also seen a pair of tree swallows use the opening for newspaper deliveries to raise chicks.  It was situated under a mail box.  Maybe the paper went into the mail box for awhile.
     Purple martins, which are another kind of swallow, nested colonially in dead trees riddled with woodpecker holes and other hollows.  Today most martins raise young in colonial style nesting boxes erected in farmland.  But one time when I was pumping gas at a service station in Virginia, I saw a few martins swooping around the pumps.  Curious, I watched what they were doing and discovered a couple of pairs had nests in the sign under a large roof.  One pair had a nursery at the bottom of the U while another pair was feeding chicks at the bottom of the first O in the SUNOCO  sign above the pumps.    
     Chimney swifts originally glued twig cradles down the inside of hollow, broken-off trees, using their saliva as the glue.  Today most swifts nest down the inside of chimneys, which to the swifts must look like hollow trees.  Swifts must be more numerous today than ever in their life history.
     Eastern phoebes, which is a kind of flycatcher, traditionally nest on rock ledges under protective, overhanging boulders near water in woodlands.  And today they also raise young on support beams and the tops of ceiling lights under porch and pavilion roofs, on beams under little bridges and spouting under roofs, to name a few spots near water in the woods.
     House finches are originally pretty, little birds of the American west.  They were brought east as cage birds, but released when pet store owners realized that selling house finches was illegal.  Today house finches hatch youngsters in a variety of situations, including on top of porch lights, supports under awnings, ornaments on outside walls, under eaves and on beams in corners under porch, pavilion and deck ceilings.
     Carolina wrens are also notorious for raising offspring in unusual places.  Traditionally this species hatched youngsters in brush piles, rock piles and tangles of vines in bottomland woods.  But today they also build cradles in sheds with doors hanging open, mail boxes, deserted flower pots, boots, hats, pants pockets, buckets, outdoor grills, leaf blowers, power mowers and other protective objects they can access.  Their nurseries of twigs, grasses, moss and other materials are bulky and domed over the top, but with a side tunnel for entry.
     All these small, native bird species have increased populations because of their adapting to unusual nesting places.  And we people can enjoy their beauties and marvel at their adapting to human-made habitats and materials to raise young in.