I Came Home to Coochie, But Home Was Gone

Images by Nick Obrien and Beth Anderson

You may not notice me at first, darting across the sky above the jetty, chasing insects on the wing. I’m the one with the glossy blue-black feathers, the rusty throat and the neat little fork in my tail.

I’m a welcome swallow, and this is where I come to raise my family.

I remember the ledge beneath the shelter. It was protected from the rain, shaded from the harsh afternoon sun and high enough to keep my babies safe.

My partner and I built our nest there, one tiny beakfull at a time.

Mud. Grass. A feather or two.

Back and forth we flew, hundreds of times, until our little cup-shaped home was ready. It wasn’t fancy, but it held our eggs safely while ferries arrived, people hurried past and Coochie carried on beneath us.

We became part of the place.

Some people stopped to watch us. Some barely noticed us at all. We didn’t mind. We weren’t asking for much, just a small sheltered ledge and enough insects to feed our hungry chicks.

Then I came back.

The roof was still there. The jetty was still there. The ferries continued to come and go.

But our nesting place had disappeared behind netting.

I circled once.

Then again.

I flew close, looking for an opening that would get me back to my nesting place. There wasn’t one. Every familiar landing place was blocked.

I could see where home should have been, but I couldn’t reach it.

Perhaps the humans thought we would simply go somewhere else. Find another roof. Another ledge. Another safe little corner.

If only it were that easy.

A good nesting place protects our eggs from weather and predators. It gives our chicks a chance to survive those first vulnerable weeks before they are strong enough to fly. We remember these places. We return because they have kept our families safe before.

So I kept trying.

Other swallows arrived and tried too. We clung to the netting, searched along its edges and flew around the structure looking for another way inside.

We weren’t being stubborn.

We were home.

Eventually, I had to search elsewhere. Every day spent looking was a day not spent building. Every exposed ledge carried a new risk. Every unsuitable place meant starting again.

All we needed was one small space.

Humans build great shelters, long jetties and enormous homes. Surely there is room in all of that for a nest no bigger than a cupped hand?

I will keep returning to Coochie. I will still skim across the water and sweep through the air after insects. You may see me perched on a wire, my tiny body facing into the breeze.

And perhaps one day, I will find a safe ledge here again.

If you see me circling the place where my nest once was, please don’t think I’m lost.

I know exactly where I am.

The trouble is, I came home and found that home no longer had room for me.

Give Our Welcome Swallows a Voice

If this little swallow’s story matters to you, please contact Redland City Council and ask for the bird-exclusion netting at the Coochiemudlo and Victoria Point jetties to be reviewed.

Ask Council to engage appropriately qualified wildlife experts and investigate how safe, suitable nesting and roosting spaces can be provided for the Welcome Swallows who return here.

Your message doesn’t need to be long. Even a few respectful sentences will show Council that our community wants practical solutions that protect both public infrastructure and the native birds who share it with us.

Email: rcc@redland.qld.gov.au

Council contact page:
https://www.redland.qld.gov.au/About-Council/Contact-Us
Phone: (07) 3829 8999

If you see a bird trapped, injured or in immediate danger, please don’t email and wait for a response. Call RSPCA Queensland on 1300 ANIMAL (1300 264 625).

RSPCA injured wildlife information:
https://www.rspcaqld.org.au/our-services/wildlife-services/injured-wildlife