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We have 4 baby barn swallows sitting on a dowel perch suspended from the roof of our front porch. There were 5 (sob), but only 4 returned after their first flight. On fledging day (Sunday) there were 15 babies in total sitting on our gutter, garage window crown, and front porch perch.
A single pair arrived about 6 years ago and nested under the roof of our porch. They returned with others (probably paired offspring) and the number has grown each year. They appear to work together to feed all the young - there will be a flurry of activity in the early evening with at least 8-10 adults feeding the nestlings in the porch, and then they disappear - I assume to feed the babies in other nests around the property.
It impresses me beyond words that they migrate to Central or South America every fall and then return to our tiny front porch reliably each May.
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The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi 
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