Sunday, November 4, 2012

Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows of the Eclipse


 Photos from a long time ago (Spring 2012, oh yea). Most of this is from when I was doing Tree Swallow banding for a grad student last spring, which was one of the most fun field work I had done. Pictured above is a first year female Tree Swallow, ready to fight me to the point of discomfort to protect her eggs.


 This shot is from a very strange nest that was initially House Wrens, but was then taken over by Tree Swallows mid season. The white eggs are Tree Swallow and the brown speckled are left over from the House Wren. Of the three that hatched, two were Tree Swallows and one was a House Wren! Sadly, the house wren didn't make it to fledge this year. There was a storm soon after hatch and it did not survive.


The typical Tree Swallow nest. Quite the decorators.


Ready to leave the nest which means ready to be banded!


A shot from right before the eclipse in Spring 2012. The Barn Swallows were going wild above Putah Creek.

No comments:

Post a Comment