Tree Swallows - an Empty Nest

Well, the tree swallows were in their nest yesterday. Today is day 21 in their little lives, and this morning they're gone. At least, five of them flew. A sixth didn't see the outside world. It laid motionless in the nest this morning at 8am, dead. I cleaned the nest out of the house and left the front open for the sun to him for a few days...

Tree Swallows, Day 15

Baby looking out...




Moma feeding the babies.

Tree Swallows - Day 13

First, one picture from Day 12:



Now Day 13 (today):









You can watch a brief video from day 12 here.

Tree Swallows - Day Eleven (and a bluebird egg)

I wasn't home to take pictures on Thursday and Friday. Cheryl took these two for me on day nine:





Here are pictures for today, day 11 in the life of the baby tree swallows...









The bluebird house has a nest in it again. You'll recall that our bluebirds abandoned a clutch of four eggs in May after a cold snap. We now have one egg again.

Tree Swallows - Day Eight

Day eight. We have eyes...

Tree Swallows - Day Seven

One week old...

Tree Swallows - Day Six

Day six: bigger, fuzzier, and more active. But still no eyes...

Baby Tree Swallows - Day Four

I believe we have fuzz. Looks kind of like little wires...

Baby Tree Swallows - Day Three

A few more pictures of the baby bird. Three days old now. They have dark places along their spines and wings that look like feathers coming in. We'll see in the next day or two...

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And the flowers in our willow stump.