Feed Me!

The Tree Swallow pair that has been busy raising their brood in the backyard box is coming to the point of seeing their chicks take flight. They have worked hard. Soaring to nab a mouthful of insects for their young, they race back to satiate their hungry ones. All the while, those babes are chirping, “Feed Me!” and presenting wide open mouths to receive their meals.

I shot these photos yesterday (June 19, 2020) and today, the parents are still flying in with food. But, we have a trail cam up to hopefully catch the first flights as the chicks soar for their first time.

We took a ride around Jaye’s Pasture this afternoon and there were more Barn Swallows than usually taking advantage of the insects that the golf cart scared up for them. At one time, a group of six flew together and I’m fairly certain it was a family unit of parents and their recent fledglings. I hope to see these Tree Swallows form the same little aerial group in the next day or two.

If you look carefully in the photo gallery below, you will see images of a parent bird with a mouthful of insects. I find it incredible that, without the help of a hand or other appendage, the little birds can catch multiple insects on the wing. This is especially amazing when you consider how small a beak they have.

Several times I observed the parent birds merely flying past the box opening, rather than stopping to offer a meal. I wondered if they were attempting to demonstrate flight, or enticing their babes to join them on the wing. A couple of those instances, both parents flew across the visual plane of the nest box while their chicks observed from the only home they have known.