Spring is here already? Yep - Wednesday the 20th is the first day of spring. That means lots of comings and goings. Swallows are arriving, eagles and owls are already sitting on eggs in nests they built earlier, some of the wintering ducks are seeing the signs of spring and know it’s time to return to their breeding grounds in the north. Other species that are year-round in my area are showing their breeding plumage and looking for mates. A busy time to be a bird!
Today, let’s make this Dawn Chorus more of an open thread and talk about what spring is like where you live, what you’re seeing in your area, and anything else birdy that you’d like to contribute. I’m going to post a bunch of photos and give a little commentary, but this edition of Dawn Chorus will have more pictures than words.
I’m going to focus on swallows because they are starting to get pretty active where I live. These are Cliff Swallows and mud is their jam. They use mud to build their nests which are pretty much condos made of mud. They cement the mud on cliff edges, under bridges and freeways, under eaves and anyplace else they want.
Several years ago, a flock of Cliff Swallows decided that the perfect place to build their mud condos was directly above the main entrance to my local Target. A mess of mud droppings and bird droppings on the walkway at the main entrance became a real problem. Target was forced to install scaffolding around the entrance to protect customers and birds. The birds are federally protected, of course, so Target had no other recourse. They certainly couldn’t break the law by trying to discourage them. Very entertaining.
Several years ago, I posted this picture of a Cliff Swallow peeking out from its condo. Only at that time, I thought this was a Barn Swallow, as they have similar coloring. A reader gently corrected me and gave me the one word that I remembered forever since to tell one from the other: headlights. The Cliff Swallow has that distinctive white “headlight” between its eyes. The Barn Swallow does not.
Here’s an even closer look:
Moving on, next we have the sleek and lovely Tree Swallow. They prefer nesting in trees if they can find cavities suitable for setting up house. I’m fortunate to have captured an encounter of a Tree Swallow entering a tree cavity, which is pretty cool. But they also will take to nesting boxes set out for them.
Now here comes the fun part. Watch this Tree Sparrow I just happened to catch as it flew to the tree where its nest is inside a natural tree cavity. I considered myself to be the luckiest damn birder in the world when I got this sequence of shots. They’re not great, but the fact that I got them at all is amazing.
From Tree Sparrows, let’s move on to another lesser-known and lesser-seen sparrow, at least as far as my experience is concerned. I’ve only a couple of photos of the Northern Rough-winged Swallow, but it’s a fascinating member of the family. The Northern Rough-winged Swallow's plain brown back and dusky throat doesn't stand out, allowing it to sometimes go unnoticed in flocks of brighter swallow species. This common summer visitor flies low over water snatching insects in midair and rests on wires, posts, and exposed branches. It nests in burrows excavated by other birds.
Lastly, I’m moving on to Barn Swallows. These trusty little birds are the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. It breeds throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Like Cliff Swallows, Barn Swallows also pick up and use mud. But they use mud and grass to line their nests, not construct their nests entirely of mud. They do like to build nests in barns and outbuildings. Here’s a photo of a Barn Owl I took near the Point Reyes Bird Observatory. This nest was built in a bus stop structure! Note the distinctive forked tail that screams, “Barn Swallow!”
Here’s a pair of Barn Swallows hanging out at rest. Their colors are so similar to Cliff Swallows, but note — no headlights!
Here’s a series of juvenile Barn Swallows trying to figure out life. You’re little. You have no idea what’s going on. You have siblings just as unhappy as you. You’re hungry. Let everyone know!
The floor is yours. What birds are you seeing as spring arrives? What’s happening in your birding world? This is an Open Thread.