Tree Swallows

I bought a colorful all-weather birdhouse this spring, hoping to attract a pair of bluebirds. It didn't take long, however, for the tree swallows to find their new home instead. I didn't mind, since they are both pretty cool birds.

The tree swallows are one of the first migratory birds to return in the spring. During the first warm days of April, they began circling our yard, entertaining me with their acrobatic maneuvers, either searching for a mate, a nesting box, or just flying for fun.  In addition to being a pleasure to watch, tree swallows serve a very useful purpose as they can consume up to 2,000 insects a day!

A Tree Swallow protecting its nest and awaiting some food.

During the month of June, one of the pair, would peek out of the nest box, and the mate would return frequently with food. Where ever I found these boxes, the site was the same. One parent in the box, and the other constantly flying near the box and returning with food. The box above was located in a wetland area along with about a half a dozen other boxes. They were all filled with nesting swallows. Wetland edges are prime habitat for swallows due to the abundance of insects.

Now, it is August 1st, and just as quickly as they arrived, the tree swallows are all gone. In fact, they were no longer in the nest box or around our yard by the second week in July. After nesting, the birds prefer to hang out in flocks and will be seen where food is most plentiful - usually around water.

When they aren't foraging for insects, swallows like to perch on telephone wires.

When summer ends, the flocks of swallows will  begin their migration south, following the Atlantic Coast down to Florida and the Caribbean. When insects are less plentiful, they are able to survive by eating berries, particularly bayberry. This allows them to survive cold spells in early spring, late fall and winter.

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Sources:     https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tree_Swallow/id
                   www.sialis.org/tres.htm
                   http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/tree-swallow
                   http://www.treeswallowprojects.com/index.html