Famed swallows of Calif.’s Mission San Juan Capistrano now choosing to nest at country club

Famed swallows of Capistrano nest in country club

CHINO HILLS, Calif. — The migratory birds that annually return to a historic Southern California church flew right past it this spring, choosing to make their nests at a five-star country club instead.

For decades, a flock of thousands of cliff swallows returned to the Mission San Juan Capistrano after their annual migration to Argentina, delighting locals and tourists.

This year, thousands of the small birds have built their mud nests in the eaves of the new Vellano Country Club, a year-old private community of 200 homes situated around a golf course in Chino Hills.

Mission officials say the church attracted birds when it was the tallest structure in the area, but increased urbanization has led the birds elsewhere.

Information from: The Orange County Register, www.ocregister.com