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7/10 Nest clean out
7/10 Nest clean out
The box was cleaned out today. We collect all the nests for the boxes to study them. The nests tell us things such as if the birds have eaten snails (it is not uncommon to find empty shells in the boxes), or if all the chicks fledged. In this box, all the chicks fledged. The box is now ready for next year!
7/5 Fledge!
7/5 Fledge!
The chicks fledged today! Fledging is when the chick leaves the nest, which they do by jumping out of the hole. The chicks know how to fly as sone as they leave the box. They can fly well enough to catch bugs on their own. As soon as the chick fledges, it will never return to the box, unless the fledgling returns to build it's own nest. Often they will nest in the same box. Looking at past data, they often will not come back on their second year, but will return when they are on their third year. The next step is cleaning out the box. The swallows like a clean box, so we clean it out for them.
6/27 Chick Banding!
6/27 Chick Banding!
The Chicks are 11 days old today! We band them when they are 11 days old, as that is when their legs fit a band. They are measured just the same as the adults. However, we can't tell things like if they are male or female yet.
This chick was just banded! It will wear the band for the rest of it's life. Although it can't fly yet, this chick could fledge when it is 16< days old.
This is the first time the chicks have been outside the box. They will flap their wings, even though they can't fly yet which means that they can be very wiggly.
6/16 hatchlings!
6/16 hatchlings!
The chicks hatched today! As soon as they hatch the parents have to feed them. This means that they will be entering the box frequently. We try to catch the male and female to band them. After the parents are banded, the next step will be to band the chicks. The chicks will be banded on day 11. that is the day when their legs will fit a band.
This is the female from box 132. She was caught and banded today, as she had not been caught before.
This is the male. he was a returning swallow. That means that he traveled to central America and came back to this same field. In 2023 he was banded in a box right next to 132. In 2024 he was in the same box as 2023. In 2025 he was in the same box as this year! It is incredable that he was able to even find Creamers Field again after traveling so far. It will be fun to see where he nests next year.
6/13 Update
6/13 Update
This nest is schedule to hatch on the 19th. This is the earliest day they could hatch. Right now the female is sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. Factors such as cooler temperatures, rain, and even frost (like the other day!) will extend the incubation time. Factors such as hot weather, an early spring, and more insects can make the development time shorter, and the eggs hatch sooner. As soon as the nest hatches the we will have to catch the parents, and on day 11 after they hatch the chicks themselves will get banded!
6/5 Incubation!
6/5 Incubation!
This box still has 6 eggs! this means the female is incubating. Incubating is when the bird will sit on the eggs to keep them warm. This is a important day, as we can now calculate the hatch date. tree swallows incubate for 14/16 days, or more if the weather is cooler. Since we know when to check if they will have hatched, we can stop checking the box.
6/3 Eggs!
6/3 Eggs!
This Box has 6 eggs! There is a tree swallow pair nesting here. Tree swallows are cavity nesters, which means the will nest in a natural cavity (a wood pecker hole) or a artificial cavity (A nest box.) They fill the box with feathers and grass. The female will lay one egg per day, and will start incubation on the day the second egg is layed. Most of the boxes that are here at creamers have active nests in them, so it is important that they do not get disturbed, or they will abandon the nest.
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