USUALLY observed on the wing, swooping for insects over paddocks or waterways, Welcome Swallows are a ubiquitous bird throughout the north-east region.

Occupying most habitats, they are particularly common in farmland and other modified environments where open spaces allow for foraging, water sources such as dams attract prey, and human-made structures such as houses, sheds, bridges and culverts provide ideal opportunities for roosting and nesting.

Many readers would be very familiar with the nesting habits of this species, as they commonly build their mud nests under eaves and verandas of houses, and rafters of sheds.

In many cases, nests are constructed right above entrances to sheds and houses – as if attracted by the doormat slogan that bears their name, ‘Welcome’!

Though present throughout the year, numbers of Welcome Swallows are highest in spring and summer and it is likely that many birds move north to escape the cold of winter.

When not breeding, Welcome Swallows can form flocks and roost gregariously, sometimes in groups of up to a hundred or more birds, though in most cases established pairs remain bonded and continue their reliance on dwellings and built structures in which to roost at night.

At the onset of spring, pairs begin the process of breeding, with both sexes gathering mud to build their nests, lining the structure with fine grasses, feathers, fur and wool. Pairs often return to the same site as the previous year to nest.

Anywhere from three to six eggs are laid per clutch and Welcome Swallows often produce two broods per breeding season.

Feeding on small aerial insects such as moths, flies, midges and mosquitoes, Welcome Swallows are competent and agile flyers, swooping, circling, banking and diving gracefully through the air, as well as skimming water for prey on or near the surface.

Pleasant as it is to watch swallows expertly foraging and catching their prey, it is even more rewarding to view the species up close, especially in bright sunshine.

What are so often seen as swift moving silhouettes, they transform into creatures of great colour and beauty, with their glossy sheen and contrasting satin blue and deep rufous plumage.