It's GENIUS, I tell ya, GENIUS!

Our annual battle of the barn swallows has taken a twist. Over the years, we've scooped out their dirty mud nests with broadknives, shooed the birds with angry words, we've PineSol'd, Murphy'd and Lemon Pledged their favorite spots, to little effect on these persistent creatures. We don't really mind the barn swallows, they eat tons of mosquitoes, it's just the filthy residue of their occupancy we can't abide. Monday our resident wiseman, Bill Cook, gave us a humane tip. Just hang tape or ribbons around the nesting area. When they helicopter in with a mud load, their wings beat against the fabric and it bothers them. They will go elsewhere.
So far, so good. A mating pair looked over our innovation this morning, looking bothered. But they haven't gone elsewhere yet, leaving us with a selfish, guilty feeling for depriving them of their love nest.