Building Homes for Our Swallows

A Morning of Sawdust, Coffee, and Community: FHA Neighbors Build Homes for Our Swallows

If you walked past Keasler Cottage on the morning of March 7th, you probably heard the sound of drills, saws and music —and about twenty-five neighbors working together to build homes for the birds in our community. 🐦

Katheryn Hayes, our FHA Environment lead, did a fantastic job pulling this together. With Dave Galvin’s expertise on hand to make sure the boxes were actually bird-ready, and a generous pile of wood and screws, we turned the Keasler porch and parking lot into a proper little workshop.

We had everyone from seasoned carpenters to folks who’d never held a drill before, all working side-by-side. Between rounds of coffee and cookies, there was plenty of sawdust flying and neighbors catching up.

But it wasn't just about building the boxes. Katheryn made sure we all went home a little smarter about our local ecosystem. She handed out some great tips on how we can help the local bee population by planting things like purple Asters and rosemary around our docks. She also gave us a much-needed reminder about lighting—turns out, just keeping the outside lights off or switching to warmer colors makes a huge difference for the insects that our swallows rely on for food.

Seeing three generations of neighbors huddled over workbenches to build homes for birds that haven't even arrived yet is exactly why this community is so special.

A big thanks to everyone who came out, grabbed a hammer, and pitched in. The swallows are going to have a very warm welcome this year.

March 7, 2026