Some Tree Swallows are building their nests here now. The females usually contribute the twigs; the males usually finish up with a feather lining. They’ll be incubating eggs within about two weeks, if weather conditions allow. Males share the feeding chores and sometimes help with incubating.
While some Tree Swallows are building their nests, others are hanging out, watching WoodenBoat School summer staff prepare the campus for this year’s programs. Nest building usually precedes boatbuilding at WBS.
A pair of these fast-flying acrobats needs a daily diet of about 6,000 small insects – all caught in the air – to feed themselves and their four to seven fledglings. Extended periods of spring cold and rain (when small insects don’t fly) can have a devastating effect on the birds. Tree Swallows not only eat on the fly, they drink and bathe while skimming over still water.
(Brooklin, Maine)