Soft swallows

[hatless]

I can't remember seeing a swallow's nest that wasn't in a building, and I can't remember seeing a swallow perch in a tree, they always prefer telephone wires. How did they ever manage before humans got here to spoil them?

[RoyW]

Original nest sites for Swallows would have been in caves & crevices in cliffs, + occasionally in hollow trees. They do perch in trees (usually exposed dead branches at the top), and also use reeds and similar as perches (large autumn roosts often form in reedbeds).

Humans have certainly increased the number of available nest sites for both Swallows and House Martins though!