At left: Loyd Dussault of Johnson Interiors puts a new coat of paint on the bottom section of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, NH.
The $30,000 repainting project, paid for by Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, is almost complete.
Early next week, the J.B. Leslie Masonry Company will attach protective netting beneath the ironwork on the lighthouse's lantern deck, which will prevent cliff swallows from nesting there.
Over the years, the nesting birds had caused much corrosion of the ironwork.
The swallows have easily adapted by building nests in the walls of nearby Fort Constitution.
See www.portsmouthharborlighthouse.org for more information.
It looks like a great job to me! What a view!
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear the swallows will be banned. I really enjoyed watching them. What about the ones that are already nesting? Do they have eggs/chicks?
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ReplyDeleteThere were no swallows nesting when the project started -- if there were, we would have delayed the project until late summer, when the birds are all gone.
ReplyDeleteThe swallows were just starting to show up as the project started. When they discovered the scaffolding, they built their nests in the stone walls of Fort Constitution instead.
We love birds, and we would not have done anything to harm them. Nature and historic preservation can coexist happily.
A couple more comments -- the swallows are still around and you can watch them on the side of the fort near the water.
ReplyDeleteThis project was something we needed to do for years. When the remains of old nests were removed, the rust underneath was worse than we expected. In time, it would have caused very serious problems.
Morning Jeremy.
ReplyDeleteI was at the lighthouse last Saturday morning and with my daughter and saw the renovations. Took a bunch of photos too!
I did see the Swallows nesting in the entrance of Fort Constitution but didn't notice them in the walls. We were also able to observe them digging up mud to make the nests also.
So glad you are considerate of wildlife. I agree, history and nature go hand in hand. Luckily I took plenty of photos last year of the swallows flying in and out of the lighthouse nests.
Sharon