swallow station top

Just think of it as a very special – and very stinky – welcome mat.

If you want to get closer to nature you could go on a hike or hang out with some capybaras, or you could just invite nature into where you work.

And that’s what happened at the Wakabadai Station in Tokyo when a family of swallows decided to move in. But rather than call in an exterminator or shoo them away, the station staff welcomed them instead.

▼ “The station staff are so nice. Spotted at the turnstyle at
the Wakabadai Station on the Keio Sagamihara Line.”

This wasn’t a one-time event either. Here’s some tweets from last year when the station staff helped out another swallow family:

▼ “Swallow siblings at the Wakabadai Station.”

https://twitter.com/h724hirayama/status/610778765023555585

▼ “Almost time for these cute swallows to leave the nest. When this nest broke, the station staff restored it. These swallows have people looking out for them.”

Now you might be wondering how this happened. Shouldn’t the station have to get rid of the nests?

That’s where the things underneath the swallow nests come in. They’re “poop protectors” specifically designed to be put up underneath swallow nests, so that falling bird matter doesn’t hit any unfortunate passerby.

The poop protectors are made by the Japanese NPO Bird Research with the hope of making it easier for people and swallows to live together. This video by Rachel and Jun shows off some of the awesome things Bird Research is doing:

I think we can all agree that not being pooped on is the best way to start a healthy relationship between swallows and humans. Although, as we’ve seen before, when it comes to train stations being covered in fecal matter, usually it’s the humans who are to blame.

Source: Twitter/@navyblue16 via Hamusoku
Featured/top image: Twitter/@navyblue16