New Swallow

I have my regular stream of bird visitors this summer, grackles, redwings, mourning doves, chickadees, cardinals, house finches, house sparrows, chipping sparrows,  goldfinches.

The past two years I have had tree swallows using the nest boxes, and it was disappointing this year, when the house sparrows took over both boxes. So it was quite exciting when I saw four swallows swooping around the willows the other day. One landed, and stayed quite awhile. It appeared to be a fledgling, unsure of itself, looking around, not sure what to do next. Maybe the parents had brought him by to show him off.

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Posted: June 24th, 2008 under birding.
Comments: 6

Comments

Comment from Ruth
Time: June 24, 2008, 6:40 am

Do you evict the house sparrows? I would. I have one bird house and red squirrels squatted there and by the time I noticed, I couldn’t take it down as they were quite aggressive. Tree swallows are lovely.

Comment from Iris
Time: June 24, 2008, 8:40 am

Great shots! We have tree swallows and chimney swifts all over town, but I’ve yet to find any sitting still long enough to snap a shot anywhere as good as yours.

Comment from JeanMac
Time: June 24, 2008, 12:56 pm

In the second picture, he looks quite regal!

Comment from Becky
Time: June 24, 2008, 3:25 pm

Don’t you just love Swallows? We have a pair of Tree Swallows in my Bluebird house, and a pair of Barn Swallows nesting above a high yard light in the front of our garage. They all terrorize my cat. Swooping down at her as she walks by. It is so funny.

Comment from Willow Caroline
Time: June 25, 2008, 6:27 pm

My middle son really would love barn swallows.. we have the old barn! Do you clean out your birdhouses each year? I read somewhere that one should do so, but I am never sure when to clean the nests out of the bluebird boxes. It seems that this year they did not get used like they have in the past, and I wondered if it was a) because I wasn’t around in the day to notice or b) if we should have cleaned out the nests.

Comment from jan
Time: June 25, 2008, 8:54 pm

I do clean out my birdhouses. I read in a couple of my birdfeeding books that you should do so at the end of the breeding season. Last year I got around to it in September I believe.

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