Hi, this is ranger Liam with another Ranger Minute for Redwood National and State Parks,
and today I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite visitors here in the park: the barn swallow.
They got a nest right up here at our visitor center,
and the reason that I call them visitors is that they don't stay here all year-round.
They actually fly south to Central and South America every fall and then in the spring,
they actually fly back and prove to us that it's spring here again.
So, here have a nest of five chicks that hatched from their eggs just about two weeks ago.
Now, in a little more than a week or so, these chicks will be able to fly on their own.
Until that time, their parents work constantly to feed their young.
The barn swallows provide a valuable service, in that they help to reduce insect populations in their area.
So the next time you see one of these swallows with their orange chest and deeply-forked tail,
be sure to give them a big thank you!