Tree Swallows

I never seem to have the correct camera with me when these moments happen. A pair of Tree Swallows have been busy with nestbuilding in this box and I happened to see them perched atop the box the other day. I expect that soon, there will be eggs.

Here is a look inside the Tree Swallow nest box.. Tree Swallows also use grasses to craft their nest, and then they go in search of feathers to line the nest. There are more feathers inside the cup of this nest and I suspect they will add more before eggs are laid. Tree Swallows defend their nests more aggressively than the Eastern Bluebirds, so if you happen to be walking too close to the box, do not surprised if you are dive-bombed by a Tree Swallow. You may hear them chattering and snapping their bills, but they will not harm you. Best to keep your distance so they can successfully fledge young.

A View Inside

Here is a look inside an Eastern Bluebird nest box. This nest is typical of an Eastern Bluebird, crafted with grasses and relatively neat. You cannot see it from this photo, but there is a distinct cup inside this nest, which is where the eggs are placed, and incubated. Scroll down to see more. 

In this photo, you can get an idea of the interior shape of the nest. These are the eggs of the Eastern Bluebird. At this time, there were four eggs in the nest. 

Eastern Bluebirds lay one egg per day, with an average clutch of 4-6 eggs. There are now five eggs in the nest and the female has begun to incubate the eggs. This is an especially important time to not disturb the nest so that the eggs are not abandoned.

So, the boxes have freshly painted roofs. There were rumours of House Sparrows in the area. House Sparrows are an invasive, unprotected species which will attack and kill nesting native birds. No one wants them around nest boxes. There are many ways of trying to control, or deter them. Some people swear that House Sparrows will stay away from roofs painted blue. It seemed to be a reasonable thing to try, so four of the six roofs were painted before rains moved in. Obviously, the blue does not bother the Tree Swallow pictured here, and that's a good thing!