Today was nest box clean-out day where we went around to all the boxes and took out the old nests. At this point the tree swallows are already leaving Fairbanks and are not using the nests anymore, so it is safe to take them out of the boxes.

Today the last chick left the nest, and so it is officially counted as fledged. All that is left in the box is a whole lot of poop.

The chicks have continued to grow and gotten so much bigger, they're starting to look more like their parents with fully-grown feathers! This is around the time each year we start fledge checks. Fledging is when a chick leaves its box and each chick will fledge when they feel ready. We can see there's only one chick left! Our fledge checks begin on day 16, the earliest date the birds could leave the nest. You might think checking to see if a nest is empty would be pretty straightforward but it actually takes around 10 minutes per box, this is because of the high risk for premature fledging! We must sit and watch the box for at least 10 minutes before even approaching and utilize sight, sound, and stealth to avoid the grown chicks jumping towards the light when the box is opened and fledging before they are ready, which could have dangerous consequences in their survival! This is why we have to be so careful, and why unauthorized people should avoid messing with or opening the boxes. Things you can do if you are interested in what's going on inside are: scan these QR codes, watch from a distance, ask creamer's field staff/us if you see us out in the field, or explore opportunities and questions related to birds!

Today the chicks are 11 days old. Their feathers are starting to become fluffy, and their legs are developed enough, which means that they got banded today! Each chick gets an aluminum band placed on their leg identifying the bird with a nine digit number. If we come across these birds once they leave the nest, we will know what individual they are. The chicks also get measured and weighed: Each of these 5 chicks weighs more than their parents!

Today the chicks are 8 days old. They are starting to get very dark in color from their feathers growing in. At this age their eyes can open, however they don't keep them open often. They are also old enough to make chirping noises. Listen carefully when their parents go into the box to feed them and you may hear the chicks chirping for food. 

Today the female was sitting on her chicks when the box was opened. Her blue color is very striking! Usually male tree swallows are more blue in color and the females are mote green, but this girl is colored more like a male is. 

Today the chicks are four days old and are starting to show the grey patches where their feathers will come in. 

There are 5 babies in total today, and they are getting noticeably bigger. The remaining eggs will probably not hatch at this point, and the parents may remove them from the nest.

Today another 2 eggs hatched making 4 nestlings total. Today was also a special day for this nest because we caught the parents from the box to take measurements on them. The adult birds are always caught shortly after the nest is hatched because at this time both parents have to go all the way into the box to feed the chicks. 

If they don't already have one, the adult birds are fitted with a metal band on their leg, identifying them with a 9 digit number, and then data on the bird's size and condition is recorded. 

This picture is of the male and female birds from this box spreading their wings.

Today this box hatched!  The young chicks are tiny and helpless, so both parents will take turns feeding them. The female will also spend some time sitting on the chicks and remaining eggs to keep them warm. Hatch day is counted as the day that the first chick hatches, so even though there are only 2 chicks so far, this nest is counted as successfully hatched. The other eggs will probably hatch tomorrow, although one or two of them may never end up hatching at all.

This nest has 6 eggs. The parents have done such a good job bringing in feathers for the nest that it is hard to see the eggs through them all! The first day this nest could hatch is 6/8.