This first-person article is by Melissa Hafting, an avid poultry farmer from Richmond, British Columbia. For more information on CBC first-person stories, please see the FAQ.
Swallows are an iconic summer bird throughout Canada. They rush and gracefully rush over the water, showing magnificent colors, like bright rays of light.
My late mother and I loved watching them pour over the water to drink. Their reflections sparkled and illuminated the water in ways that made my mother cry with joy. She was excited about all the swallows, but she loved the tree swallows the most. She saw them most often, and they were easily recognizable by their gleaming blue backs and white bellies.
Unfortunately, swallows are declining in Canada for many reasons, including lack of natural nesting cavities, pesticide use, and climate change. IN warming temperatures may affect many birds making them return north to their breeding grounds too early. When they do, they may find that there is not enough food to withstand nesting.
In 2020, I filed a petition in my hometown of Richmond, British Columbia, to build swallows’ nests. The city agreed and we installed boxes in three parks. Tree swallows do not nest in two of them before the start of the program, but eventually successfully nest in all three parks. I personally observed, collected and recorded data for each nest as a volunteer for the city. I also cleaned the nesting boxes at the end of the season.
As I showed my mother the nesting boxes, she loved to listen to the swallows chatter around their boxes and watch them fly as they gathered food for their young. She was fascinated when they rushed right over our heads.
Melissa Hafting has asked the city of Richmond, British Columbia, to build nest boxes to help trees devour populations in the Lower Continent. (Alia Yousef)
In June 2021, by the end of July, BC experienced a record heat dome. Daily temperatures rose above 40 C in the lower part of the continent. Millions of marine life and thousands of cattle died in the countryside.
During this time, several nests of swallows and the city died, and I attribute it to the prolonged intense heat wave. The boxes I designed were predator-resistant and protected the chickens from the rainy cold weather, which is more typical of Vancouver’s coastal spring.
In the prolonged heat, however, the nesting boxes turned into small hot boxes that prepared the young swallows alive. Because the chickens were too small to fly, they could not escape the boxes. Some were so young that they had not yet opened their eyes. Some of their small bodies looked like leather. I held the small, limp bodies in my hand and cried.
Helpless parents also could not help their little ones. It hurts to think how painful it was for them. These swallows invest so much time and energy in raising their young. They feed up to 7,000 insects a day on begging nests, something that begins as soon as they hatch until they disperse.
Melissa Hafting is working with the city of Richmond to build the next Swallow Tree Boxes. (Melissa Hunting)
When the young hatch, they have poor thermoregulation for at least seven days. They need the female to stir them to stay warm. During the heat wave, her warm body on them – and the feathers she carefully selects to keep them warm, surrounding them in their cup nests – was a literal death sentence for the chickens. They were loved to death in the intense heat.
When I thought about all this – the wasted efforts of the parents, the helpless chicks – it broke my heart. The loss of even one clutch is devastating. These swallows are vital to our ecosystem. They are not just beautiful to look at; they also reduce the number of bugs, such as mosquitoes, that can transmit disease to humans.
In Canada, we are within the northern limits of their range and the second pile or traction is unusual. Fortunately, in 2021, several of the pairs of swallows had a second successful nesting in the nests I observed, and that gave me hope.
Nesting boxes in Richmond, British Columbia, parks are used successfully by swallows in trees again after the heat dome. (Melissa Hunting)
I watched as these new connectors, which were born late in the season towards the end of July, successfully dissipated and flew away from the nest. I felt like a proud mother.
At that moment, I remembered my mother, who I lost last Christmas Eve. She loved me so much and worked hard to raise me to be the woman I am today. She was extremely supportive and encouraging of my love of birds.
I will always appreciate the time we have to share watching these beautiful birds together. I always think of her when I’m with these swallows. They are bright lights that help me maintain a special connection with her through memories, even if she is no longer physically with me.
Melissa Hafting, left, as a child with her mother in Osojos, British Columbia, watching Canadian geese. The two loved to watch birds together. (Arne Hafting)
It is now a new season and the project has started successfully for another year. I hope against any hope that there will be no more heat waves this year. Despite the climate forecasts, I am determined to continue this work. The resilience of birds inspires me to keep going. If they don’t give up despite the warming planet, I won’t either.
Do you have a compelling personal story that can bring understanding or help others? We want to hear from you. Here more information on how to present us.
Our planet is changing. So is our journalism. This story is part of the CBC News initiative, entitled “Our Changing Planet,” to show and explain the effects of climate change. Keep up to date with the latest news on our climate and environment page.
Add Comment