Tree Swallow (NY)
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Location: Ithaca, NY
Status: Five Tree Swallows fledge!
 
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July 10 - FLEDGING DAY - PART 2! <<<Third, fourth, and fifth bird fledge>>> We were surprised to see three young still in the box the day after the first and second had fledged (bottom image). At about 11:45, only two birds remain in the nest (middle image). Shortly after, only one bird is visible perched on the entrance hole. Moments later, the last nestling flies off, leaving an empty nest! Tree Swallow young are capable of short but strong first flights. We wish them all well in the coming months! |
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July 9 -
FLEDGING DAY -PART 1! <<<First and second bird fledge>>> We believe the first of five nestlings fledged this morning some time before 9am. Notice the dull bluish-gray color of the nestlings—they will not obtain the metallic iridescent bluish-green color until they reach adulthood. |
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July 8 - We witnessed on our video the female feeding a large dragonfly to one of the nestlings while another nestling tried (unsuccessfully) to scavenge a portion of its wings. |
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July 7 - The young birds are ready to fledge any day now, but apparently they are content to remain inside the security of the nest box. |
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July 6 - At any given time now, a nestling can be seen perched on the entrance hole, checking out the world outside the nest box. |
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July 5 - More feeding...nestlings can consume prey as small as aphids and as large as dragonflies. |
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July 4 - The arrow is points to the parent feeding a nestling through the entrance hole, a common practice after the nestlings reach two weeks of age. |
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July 3 - At nearly two weeks old, the nestlings are fully feathered and move about the nest box all day. The parents will start to feed the nestlings through the entrance hole in an attempt to begin enticing the nestlings out of the box. |
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July 2 - Although it appears the chicks are begging, they are actually panting to cool themselves off. We have been experiencing record high temperatures in the nineties for nearly five straight days. |
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July 1 - The voracious chicks are reaching their maximum mass which typically occurs at about 12 days old. The parent take turns feeding the young. |
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June 30 - At 10 days old the young birds are capable of thermoregulating their own body temperatures, causing the female to spend less and less time in the nest. |
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June 27 - Our camera lens has dried out, giving us a much clearer image of the nest cup. The chicks will be opening their eyes within the next few days. |
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June 26 - The parents remain busy bringing food in the form of small flying insects into the nest and removing fecal sacs (see arrow) from the nest immediately after defecation. |
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June 25 - The male and female make frequent and almost equal feeding visits to the chicks which are now four to five days old. |
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June 24 - We have experienced several violent storms in the past few days, causing our camera lens to get wet. Consequently, the images are somewhat blurry. |
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June 22 - In addition to grasses and mallard feathers, the nest cup also contains a flashy white item which is actually a piece of foil the female brought into the nest box. |
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June 21 - HATCHING DAY PART 2!!! Just as the sun was rising, the fourth chick greeted the world. The bottom image points to the two halves of the egg shell. It was not until 1:30 in the afternoon, that the fifth and final chick broke through its shell—nearly 26 hours after the first egg. Again the female is seen consuming the egg shells—a potent source of much needed calcium. |
 
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June 20 - HATCHING DAY PART 1!!! In the bottom picture, the first of five chicks emerges from its shell. Approximately one hour later, the second chick emerges from its shell. Roughly three hours after the first egg hatched, the third egg also hatches and the female is seen maneuvering the shell into her mouth and eventually consuming it. Our camera captured her eating all three egg shells! |
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June 18 - We are uncertain as to the first egg date, so we can not accurately determine a hatch date, but believe it to be in the next few days. |
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June 18 - The male peeks inside the nest box as his mate incubates. It is often hard to see the female in the nest because of her dark bluish-black back, but typically if the eggs are not visible, the female is on top of them. |
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June 17 - A first look at the five white eggs, which when laid are pink, and gradually become pure white as incubation progresses. Tree Swallows have a typical incubation period of 14 to 15 days. |
