County reports it cut and saved in first quarter

By NANCY JANE KERN

RECENTLY A FRIEND SENT ME A PHOTO of a chimney swift nest that had fallen down an unused chimney. The birds and eggs were long gone so none were harmed. I immediately thought of my grandmother who lived in an 1800s farmhouse with 3 chimneys, one was cracked and never used. The last had a first- and second-floor fireplace and almost every summer a chimney swift would fall out in a cloud of soot and flop and fly around. My job was to catch it, and gently clean it and the room, and finally myself. The friend’s nest was detailed showing small broken twigs woven and stuck together.

A hole in the nest was where it had pulled loose from the wall. I learned that the swifts grow enlarged salivary glands in spring and lay down a patch of sticky saliva glue for nest attachment. The fast-flying 3.5” bird grabs a small dry twig which breaks off and is then stuck to the glue. The chimney swift pair work together weaving and gluing sticks for about 18 days until the little basket is complete and hardened. About six eggs are laid and the birds are fed numerous insects until the young leave the nest.

They also nest in tree cavities, under bridges, in caves, and use abandoned buildings.

This glue was fascinating, and I couldn’t find information about its makeup. The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology elicited some answers from Sarah Wagner, Ph.D., public information specialist who thought my question was very interesting. She emailed me a paper from the Science Direct Food Research International journal homepage: www.elsevier.com: “The Characterization of edible bird’s nest of different production, species and geographical origins using nutritional composition, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant activities.” It gave me some answers. The study was done on nests of swiftlet species in Malaysia. “Edible bird’s nest (EBN) is a precious food made from the solidified saliva of swiftlets,” which inspired the study. I had heard of Chinese bird nest soup which sounded disgusting. These nests may be formed entirely of strands of hardened saliva, not like our related chimney swifts.

The analyses in the article said the nests contained over 60% proteins, some carbohydrates, and minerals. Very nutritious indeed. The flavor of the slowly simmered nests is said to be mild-flavored and gelatinous. Originally taken from very high and dangerous to reach cave ceilings, they were very, very expensive. Now they are being raised in open, empty houses monitored to protect the birds. Amazon sells the nests for a much-reduced price of $720/8oz. pkg.

I think I will stick to chicken soup.