The first day I saw the tree swallows enter my birdhouse was 20 days ago. Both male and female have come and gone every morning and later afternoon. This is my first experience – so what should I do at this point. I haven’t opened the box at all and haven’t heard or seen babies.
Hi Judy, Tree Swallows typically deposit a few pieces of nesting material in cavity shortly after they find a mate, but nest construction usually begins several weeks later. Most Tree Swallows start nesting in mid- to late-May. They could be slowly building their nest right now, but the only way you’ll know for sure is to check the box. Please follow the guidelines in our Code of Conduct – you can open the box and check inside 1-2x per week without affecting nesting success (checking more often may be too disturbing). Check the NestWatch Protocol to learn the next steps.
The first day I saw the tree swallows enter my birdhouse was 20 days ago. Both male and female have come and gone every morning and later afternoon. This is my first experience – so what should I do at this point. I haven’t opened the box at all and haven’t heard or seen babies.
Hi Judy, Tree Swallows typically deposit a few pieces of nesting material in cavity shortly after they find a mate, but nest construction usually begins several weeks later. Most Tree Swallows start nesting in mid- to late-May. They could be slowly building their nest right now, but the only way you’ll know for sure is to check the box. Please follow the guidelines in our Code of Conduct – you can open the box and check inside 1-2x per week without affecting nesting success (checking more often may be too disturbing). Check the NestWatch Protocol to learn the next steps.