Tree Swallow

 The tree swallow is a North American swallow. They nest through out Canada and the northern United states and migrate down to the extreme southern US, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for the winter. They typically do not migrate as far south as other swallows because they eat more seeds and plant material than other swallows so they can survive in cooler climates where there are fewer insects.

 The tree swallow gets its name because it is a cavity nester and it is often found nesting in tree cavities. Tree swallows will also nest in nesting boxes that are placed in the right type of habitat. They prefer open habitats, such as fields and marshes, where they can catch their prey in flight. They also like to nest close to water because more flying insects are found around the water, due to the fact that the larva of many flying insects are aquatic.

 Like most swallows the primary diet of the tree swallow consists of insects. They hunt from dusk to dawn, typically flying close to the ground and catching their prey in flight. This bird was hunting for nesting materials when I photographed it.

Swallows at Wood Lake Nature Center

There always seems to be a healthy population of swallows at Wood Lake Nature Center during the warmer months of the year.
Barn swallows, like the one pictured above, can often be seen circling around the visitors center. They build their nests in the eaves and other nooks and crannies of the building.
Tree swallows, like this one, are more often found on the other end of the park. They prefer to nest in the bluebird boxes which are placed in the open fields on the west side of the park.
Both types of swallows will often perch on the cables, which serve as a railing for the boardwalk which runs across the lake in the middle of the park. From their perch, over the water, they can easily take off and catch flying insects as they pass by, which is their main source of food.

Bowdoin NWR Disply Pond

At Bowdin they also had a short walking trail that went around a small pond called the display pond. Although there were many birds on the pond I was more interested in the passerines that flitted between the trees that lined the pond.
The first birds that caught my eye were the red breasted nuthatch. I spotted 4 or 5 climbing up and down the trees.
There were also quite a few warblers around including Tennessee and yellow warblers.
The most interesting bird that I spotted was a tree swallow. Tree swallows are not really rare, we have plenty of tree sparrows around home, what made it interesting was that it was very active around a hole in the tree which I am guessing was its nest.

Tree swallows are cavity nesters. They often build their nests in holes in trees near water, as in this example, or sometimes in nesting boxes, including bluebird houses.
The nest itself is cup shaped and constructed of grasses with large feathers, from other birds usually lining the nest.
The feathers are often turned upward so that they curl around the pure white eggs.
The nest is constructed mostly by the female and typically takes 2 to 4 weeks to build. The male assists by bringing the large feathers for the top lining.
The clutch usually consists of 4 to 7 eggs which the female incubates for 13 to 16 days. Both adults help to feed the young birds which take 16-22 days to fledge.

I am not sure whether or not this pair already had a brood, were incubating eggs, or where in the process of building a nest. I did not see them bringing any material to the hole so I do not think that they were building a nest. Most likely they had eggs or young, hopefully they will survive and prosper and help increase the population of these colorful birds.