Have you ever seen a flock of birds flying near a bridge in Elk Grove, zipping about like a tiny squadron of fighter planes? Chances are, you were looking at a nesting colony of cliff swallows. Swallows are known aerial acrobats and they feed by catching insects on the wing.
They were named for their natural habit of building mud nests on cliff faces, but now they might more aptly be named “bridge swallows”, or “building swallows”. They can often be viewed collecting mud along the banks of local streams or ponds in the spring. Check out this video of a colony in Elk Grove:
While they can probably be seen on many bridges along Laguna Creek, two recently confirmed locations for these colony nesters is the Franklin Blvd bridge and the bridge on Elk Grove Florin. Here’s a map:
Cliff swallows in their elaborate mud nests:
Check them out when you get a chance!