I noticed a huge number of barn swallows over my pond today. I've had rosy red feeders in the pond since last year and I've noticed barn swallows occasionally flying around the pond and picking stuff (fish?) off of the top but nothing like today. I just stocked BG in the pond on Friday and we had a cold spell over the weekend and I'm wondering if may be my fish have died and the swallows are cleaning them up. I haven't noticed any dead fish along the shore however and you would think that I would have. Any info on swallows would be helpful. Thanks, J. Street.

Joe,

Those swallows are chasing bugs, mosquitoes specifically. They are great to have around the pond. They love to dip and dive and occasionally hit the top of the water...enjoy them, They are part of the good guys.

Meadowlark,

Thanks for the response. I’ve got herons, both great blue and little green and kingfishers and last year I had a white egret that really seemed to enjoy the fatheads. Its good to know that I've got something that likes to eat mosquito’s as opposed to fish. Thanks again.

I agree completely with Meadowlark. Barn Swallows eat a tremendous amount of insects - enough that we put up with the s*** that comes with having them nest on our front porch each Summer.

I like how they fly a "Combat Air Patrol" around me while I am bush-hogging or cutting hay, picking off the bugs I have kicked up with the tractor. Sometimes there are 30 or 40 of them wheeling around within 20 yards or so.

Theo,

They do the same thing to me when I'm out on the tractor. Its great to watch them because they are such terrific flyers. Great birds.

The swallows come into my frog pond and completely pick all the water beetles from the surface. The beetle population rebounds in 2-3 weeks and the swallows return and do it again. Great fun to watch.

purple martins will do the same thing and can be attracted to your pond just by putting up a place for them to live.