I walk the same walk nearly every morning, a loop around the neighborhood. Yikes! Yesterday I started to get dive bombed by swallows. I could hear them buzz by my ear. It happened again today.

I finally looked it up.

Barn Swallows are fiercely territorial and will dive bomb anyone who gets close to their nest site. They have been known to hit people while doing this and yes, it may hurt you when it happens. But they won’t hit you on purpose as it will hurt them even more than you, birds being very fragile animals.

Chances are, if the swallows are dive-bombing you, it is because they have eggs or young in their nest. Relocating the nest and young is not a good idea so for this year, I would suggest trying to access the garage through another route. This may well be an inconvenience but it won’t be for long as the swallows will stop defending their nest as soon as the young have fledged and are able to fly on their own.

I don't know if it's barn swallows harassing me. Either way, I'll avoid the area for 2-3 weeks.