174

6/04/25

Tree swallows typically lay 4 to 7 eggs. this tree swallow laid 7 eggs this year. This photo was taken after the mother had laid all her eggs, and had started incubating her eggs. Most tree swallows typically incubate for 13 to 16 days.

6/10/25

The chicks have started hatching today! They don't all hatch at the exact same time but most will hatch within 48 hours of the first one. As soon as the chicks hatch we capture the mom and dad swallows and collect data on them. The parents of these chicks were banded last year in the exact same box. 

6/12/25

As soon as the chicks hatch we try to catch the adults, sometimes they are too sneaky and we dont catch them. Luckily we were able to catch both parents in this box. once we catch them we take data like the wing length, and we also look at their feathers to see how worn the feathers are. But the most important part is the band, sometimes we catch adults that are not banded. if this happens we put a band on the bird. a "band" is a small piece of metal in the shape of a bracelet that gets put on the birds leg. each band has its own series of numbers on it. This way if another banding station catches it or someone is able to see it good enough to read the band they can enter it and see where the bird has been. that way researchers can also track the bird and where they go in migration.

6/12/25

This is the male tree swallow from box 174. The little patch on the bird that has no feathers is called a brood patch. Normally only the females have a brood patch, but this male also has a partial brood patch which is documented in tree swallows, but is still fairily unusual. A brood patch is used to keep the eggs close to the birds skin when the bird is incubating them. Since the eggs have to stay warm during incubating the females have a brood patch to help trap heat by the eggs and transfer heat to the eggs.

6/24/25

Normally tree swallows mate and raise the chicks together in pairs of two. This box has 4 tree swallows going in to the box which is very unusual. Normally there would be only the parents going into the box to care for the chicks. This box has 4 swallows hanging around it including a second year female. She is the one sticking her head out the hole. Sometimes a second year female will help another pair raise their chicks by providing food, but 4 birds at a box is quite rare.