A swallow’s tale for barman Cooks

CUSTOMERS in a Castlebar pub recently bade farewell to a family of swallows who were reared in a nest at the back of the premises, writes Tom Gillespie.

Over the past few months the adults have been busy feeding several clutches at the Bungalow Bar, which has been a licenced premises since 1895.

The final two chicks departed with their parents for Africa recently but not before there were some dramatic moments for both staff and customers.

Bar manager Cooks Culkeen, a McHale Road native, was presented with the task of safeguarding the nest and kept the location secret until the last two chicks were almost ready to depart.

But on one occasion he displayed amazing dexterity when the mother flew into the Main Street pub.

He said: “One day out of the blue the adult swallow flew into the pub. I opened all the doors in the hope that she would fly out. But to no avail.

“The bird was rocketing from one end of the pub to the other. I made several attempts to catch it. In one fly past I managed to grab it and I released her out the front door and the swallow took to the air and flew to the nest at the back.”

From laying, swallow eggs take between 10 to 21 days to hatch, with 14 to 18 days being more typical. The chicks hatch naked, generally with only a few tufts of down. In 21 to 25 days, if food has been abundant, the babies are ready to leave the nest.