Tree Swallows in and on a nest box. Photo by Courtney Celley/USFWS
Having made their way to Faville Grove over one month ago—quicker than most swallows due to their shorter migration from the southern United Sates, Mexico, and parts of the Caribbean—Tree Swallows have inhabited nest boxes and tree cavities in most of the upper parts of the US.
Tree Swallows have been found to have high fidelity to local nesting sites, with upwards of 90% of birds returning to the same nest site each year. While the birds defend the nest box or cavity with much aggression, the local community of swallows is more cooperative in its intra-swallow dealings, and the birds often forage together over ponds and marshes.
Greenish-blue above and clean white below, Tree Swallows make a charismatic addition to nest boxes, and their personable chirping calls and chortles on a roost are hard not to anthropomorphize.
Tree Swallow in flight. Photo by Arlene Koziol
You can find Tree Swallows all over Faville Grove, in nest boxes, roosting in trees, or flying with agile precision above ponds and wetlands. Their diet consists mostly of flying insects, which they catch on the wing in dazzling displays. During breeding, the birds will also seek out sources of calcium from sources like eggshells of other birds. Though a common bird, Tree Swallows have undergone a 30% reduction in population since 1966, so if a nest box near you harbors a Tree Swallow please respect it and enjoy it.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Cover photo by Mick Thompson
