Tree Swallow – CrazyM Bird & Nature Photography

Tree Swallow Nest

Sticking with the nesting theme of the last post,

… I spent a little time watching some active Tree Swallow nesting boxes.

A lovely summer afternoon and a moderate crowd at Reifel this afternoon when I showed up to help out on the trails. While fairly quiet on the birding front, there have been a couple of Mourning Doves and Eastern Kingbirds for a change of pace of late. The highlight for most though,

… was this Great Horned Owl along the east dyke trail. I spent a good part of the afternoon with the camera set up on it providing this view to visitors.

Meanwhile back at the Tree Swallow nest,

… I continue trying to get shots of the adults arriving with food for the chicks. I managed to see three juveniles in the nest at once today.

Tree Swallow Nest

During the quieter summer months one of my favourite things to do is trying to find a Tree Swallow nest. While we are all probably familiar with seeing them at the numerous nesting boxes, I prefer to find a more natural one, a cavity in a tree or old snag. There is one I have been watching since they were incubating eggs. For about two weeks now they have been actively feeding young, but the moment I wait for,

… is when the young Tree Swallows are large enough to be sticking their heads out of the nest and begging for food as the adults arrive. The rest in the series as the adult male arrived to feed the juvenile.