Gimme That!

These are our male and female Tree Swallow Parents. When I took this photo, the female, was going back and forth from him to the bird box, and he would just sit there, moth in mouth. It was like she was saying, “go feed them!” And he would just wait. It’s been an absolute joy watching them reside in our bird box. Especially since they went through a day there battling sparrows. We helped fight them off!

Into the Mouth of the Lion

Tree Swallows built their nest in a box mounted on a post on my deck. A shepherd’s hook, used for the bird feeder in winter, hangs 3 feet away. This is where I watched them mate. They also used this as a perch before entering the nest box. They were extremely tolerant of us out on the deck. We were able to watch as they came and went, feeding and caring for their family. As the little ones grew, it was fun to watch them sticking their heads out of the box, waiting for Mom and Dad to bring home a meal.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology