Tree Swallow – Page 2 – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Cooper’s & Swallow Nest

The day got better as it progressed and this afternoon’s walk was back to the North 40. No sign of the Bullock’s Oriole today, but while checking for them a familiar “pek pek” got my attention. It was coming from a tree behind me, one frequently used as a staging area by the Cooper’s Hawk pair.

The adult male Cooper’s Hawk was on a branch inside the tree with prey in its talons. I could not make out what it had before he flew off towards the nesting area.

With nest on the mind, I made my way to an area where I had previously seen some Tree Swallow activity and suspected there was a nest.

It did not take long after arriving before I could see the adults arriving and feeding the young in the nest.

While you can only see two here, I could make out at least three at one time. They look to be a good size and crowded in there, so it will probably not be long before they fledge.

One other fun shot from this afternoon,

… was this Squirrel stretched down the trunk of a tree eating leaves.

Bushtit, Savannah & Swallow

A little windy, but still nice when I headed out for a walk late this afternoon. While doing my first loop through the North 40 I heard a Bullock’s Oriole. While trying to locate it,

… I got sidetracked by a flock of Bushtits busy foraging for insects. Then while checking some of the tree lines along the north side,

… I managed to get this Savannah Sparrow as it took off. Still not having any luck locating or photographing the Bullock’s Oriole,

… this Tree Swallow did cooperate landing atop an old snag briefly.

Raccoon & Tree Swallows

Not having been out there in a couple of weeks I made my way to Reifel this afternoon to help out on the trails. It was not overly busy people wise and things were fairly quiet on the birding front. The sanctuary has a number of nest boxes for birds like Swallows, Wood Ducks and one larger one intended for Barn Owls.

However, the only thing I have seen in the owl box in recent years is Raccoons. Later in the afternoon the Swallows were particularly busy in the west marsh area.

There were some recently fledged Tree Swallows roosting in a tree,

… and actively being fed by adult birds. Too bad they were so far away. Then just as I was about to leave, something odd caught my attention. A male Brown-headed Cowbird alighted on the same branch as the fledgling Tree Swallow.

It then slowly made its way closer until it was right beside it. The whole time it had its head down in what appeared to be a submissive posture. The swallow eventually moved to another branch and the Cowbird at no time was aggressive toward the fledgling. Not too sure what to make of this behaviour. If you have any ideas let me know.