Lake Umbagog.
1903.
June 15
(No 4)
  The colony of Eave Swallows was the largest I have
ever seen in Northern New England. I counted 95 nests on
the front (gable) end of Allen's barn, two on the south side,
4 on the south side of the house, and 54 on the east 
side of the dam under its projecting roof; in all 155 nests.
Many of these were unfinished and some only just begun
but all that I included in my count showed unmistakeable
signs of progressing or very recent work. Mrs. Allen told me
that the birds have nested on the barn ever since she
& her husband have had charge of the place (about sixteen
years) but that they have increased rapidly in numbers
during the past few years. She also said that this
was the first season when any of them have attempted
to build under the eaves of the long shed over the
dam itself. The nests have a secure foundation there as
well as in the gable end of the barn. Nearly all the
finished nests were of the old-fashioned type, ie with
well marked bottle necks. The same thing is true of
the nests I have examined lately (during the past week)
at "Popple" Tavern and Upton. It is evident that the
birds have increased and spread throughout the Lake
Region of recent years. The Allens tell me that a
large colony has become established at Middle Dam.
Despite the unusual number of nests at Errol Dam
there were seldom more than thirty or forty birds
in sight there at any one time to-day. Others
were coming and going continually, however, and a
considerable proportion of the total number seen were
usually collected about a puddle of rain water in
the road collecting mud for their nests.