Barn swallows hatch in woman's kitchen

Four fledgling swallows have successfully hatched in a nest their parents built on a picture frame above a sink in a woman's kitchen. The young birds are preparing to fly their unusual nest in Pam Jones's rural cottage near Roch in Pembrokeshire, England.

Their parents, who built the nest from mud and straw, fly in and out of the back door bringing them food. Ms Jones, 79, said they seemed unflustered by her presence or that of her cat and dog.

The pensioner said she feeds a wide variety of wild birds from sparrows to pheasants in her garden. So she was delighted when the swallows started nesting in her kitchen. She said she did not think that the eggs would hatch as the parents did not seem to spend much time sitting on them, but believes the heat in the kitchen helped them survive.

She keeps her back door open during the day so the parents can fly in and out to gather food. "It's so sweet. They are very very happy sat up there with their mother bringing them food," she said. Ms Jones, who plays classical music to them, thinks they are barn swallows.