tree swallows find nest box

The pond is home to Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor who hunt insects 'on the wing'.  They catch flying insects while flying low over water or over grasses that the insects forage among. 

We have boxes that Tree Swallows use to nest in.  This bird was checking the box for suitability. 

The box has a 'Sparrow Spooker' (nylon line attached securely with hook-eyes on top and around the entrance) that protects eggs and babies of Tree Swallows from House Sparrows who cannot negotiate the lines.  House Sparrows destroy eggs and baby birds in other species' nests.

Phoebe in September

Phoebe is hunting at the pond today, balanced carefully on a reed bending over the water, with a reflection mirrored in the hazy sunlight.  

Eastern Phoebes Sayornis phoebe are usually lone birds.  Other than nesting season, one will rarely join another phoebe.  They will sit upright and wag their tails from a low perch, looking for flying insects to eat.  

They migrate south starting in September, wintering in the southern states.  And, they are among the first migrants to return to their breeding grounds in spring, sometimes as early as March. 

 

ladybug on Mountain Mint

This Mountain Mint plant supplied a meal for a ladybug.  Ladybugs, or Lady Beetles, are in the coccinellids family of beetles, not bugs.  Most are predators -- they eat smaller insects.  They prefer insects that happen to be considered pests on plants.  This includes mites, white flies, and scale insects, but especially aphids.  When the aphids are all eaten on a given plant, Ladybugs quickly head to another plant or area to find more of their favorites.

dragonflies for lunch

On 7/18 we thought the Tree Swallows might be ready to leave the nestbox.  But they have not fledged yet.  The adults are still regularly feeding the three nestlings.  And they are bringing bigger food items as the young ones grow.  Today both parents kept up a continuous delivery of meals to the nestbox, including several dragonflies.  Two little birds were hanging out of the slot above the "door" hoping to get the prize, while the third one was inside the door.  The parents feed the young from dawn until dusk, bringing flies, beetles, ants, mayflies, spiders, grasshoppers, damselflies, and dragonflies.

phoebe nestlings

Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe is a small member of the flycatcher family that nests near water in open woodland and suburbs.  Phoebes are about 6-1/2 inches long, and mainly eat insects.

We've been watching this one since April as she sits in a tree or on a branch overhanging the pond.
Once she spots an insect, she flies off the branch, snatches the insect mid-air, and returns to the branch to eat it.  This is called “hawking”, a behavior shared with other members of the flycatcher family.

Once she started flying under a deck nearby with freshly caught food items, we suspected she was feeding babies.

Sure enough, two small Phoebes peeked out over the edge of the nest.

eggs

Each day, Tree Swallows fly above the pond looking like they are doing aerial acrobats for our amazement.  In reality, they are eating -- feeding on flying insects.  So adept in the air, they eat and drink while flying, and rarely spend any time on the ground.  Unlike other swallows, they nest in old woodpecker cavities or human-built boxes. A pair settled in the bluebird box near the pond and started their clutch of eggs.  Each is less than an inch long, white, and oval.  The female places shed feathers from herself and other birds in the nest grass to hide the eggs until she is is ready to incubate them all.

swallows

There are two kinds of swallows that regularly hang out near our pond.  Both species are aerial insectivores, which means they are so agile they can eat and drink all they need while flying.  They “swallow" food with their mouth open as they soar through a group of flying insects.  They dip their beaks to sip water as they glide low over a pond or lake.  They eat mosquitoes, flies, grasshoppers, beetles, moths and other flying insects in mid air.  Small birds with long wings, they can make sharp turns at high speeds in order to catch hundreds of insects each day. Swallows are most often a welcome sight with their voracious appetite for flying insects – a good mosquito control method.

Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor are iridescent blue with a white front and underparts  nest in cavities . . .  old woodpecker holes or a nestbox like Bluebirds.

The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica has a deeply forked tail, dark feathers and rust colored throat and  under parts.  This 6" long bird lives in farmlands, suburbs, and wetlands. Because they make nests of mud in barns, on ledges, or under eaves, the location of their nests sometimes make them a pest.
Photo below: Barn Swallow

Phoebe

The Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe is one species in the family of Tyrant Flycatchers.  Phoebe is mostly insectivorous. It forages by watching from a perch, flying out for insects, and catching them in mid-air.  This is called a "sallying" style – flying up  directly from their perch to catch an insect and then immediately return to the same perch.  In some cases, Phoebe will take an insect from foliage while hovering briefly.  The pond area is replete with insects in the air and on the plants around it.  The branch on the feeder pole is a good 'sallying' perch.