--- In newzealandbackyardbirding@yahoogroups.com, "veritypickup"
<slinkeevee@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all, I was wandering by the lake yesterday with my husband when we saw two
welcome swallows. They were flying VERY close to me. My husband thought they
were being nosey, I thought they were quite threatening. Are they known for this
behaviour??? Perhaps they were protecting a nest? I definitely felt that they
wanted me gone.
>

These birds are not aggresive, quite the opposite in fact and your husband was
correct, being very nosey is typical of them. We have them around where we live
and at the front of our hose was have a carport that covers the front entrance
(door) as well,. We can stand on the steps of our entrance ane the welcome
swallows will circle inside the carport and come almost within touching
distance, fantastic.

When we were in Port Douglas (Queensland) on holiday about 10 years ago we went
(twice in fact) to a place called the Rainforest Habitat and had 'Breakfast with
the Birds', a huge aviary with a smaller aviary inside, designed to keep the
birds out while you had your breakfast. Passing along a sort of bridge between
trees that formed the walkway through the aviary and looking at (and indeed
stoking) a fruit bat that was hanging off the arm of one of the guides, a
welcome swallow that had 'broken in' to the aviary came and sat on my shoulder!
Moments like that stay with you forever.

http://www.rainforesthabitat.com.au/activities/bwb.htm

Derrick