A sign of spring and pure perseverance, the Placer County Courthouse swallows are back again.
No one knows just how long they’ve been nesting in the nooks and crannies of the ornate, 112-year-old Old Town Auburn landmark.
But for Auburn’s Bob Jordan, who took a break to sit and watch the soaring, swooping birds as they made their nests at the courthouse, it was a welcome return.
Jordan said he had heard about the efforts by Placer County to humanely direct the migratory birds elsewhere by installing netting that would keep them from nesting. But instead of flying by the courthouse, the plucky birds dug in on their return last spring and found new areas to nest.
At the time, County Facility Services Director Jim Durfee said the $36,000 netting installation was an effort to protect brick grouting from acidic bird droppings and prevent a continued public health problem caused by bird-related insect infestation inside the building.
Jordan watched the birds on Friday. It was March 19 – the traditional day for the swallows to return to a more well-known destination, San Juan Capistrano, near San Diego.
“I think we just need to embrace them,” Jordan said. “People come to Capistrano to see them, maybe they’ll come to Auburn.”
The birds were particularly active in the morning, at times moving together in one darting mass of motion near the courthouse and at others, moving in to deposit nest materials. For many swallows, it’s the northern terminus of a migration that started in South America. They’ll stay until late summer, when they move south again.
“How can we keep them away?” Jordan asked. “Put a net over the whole building? I think they should’ve spent the $36,000 on maintenance.”
At Courthouse Coffee, new owner Mike Zuvella has embraced the same enthusiasm for the swallows as former owner Linda Lareau. Lareau, a big supporter of keeping the birds at the courthouse, had described their return as a “little celebration – a mini-Capistrano” and decried the netting.
The coffee shop – which Zuvella and his wife Jacki took over less than a month ago – is a prime viewing spot for the birds on the other side of Lincoln Way.
“It’s a wonderful sight,” Zuvella said. “And it’s not a problem. I have a pressure washer, a scrub brush and a lot of great employees.”
Funny, we were just talking about this last night! 
