Tree Swallows in Motion

Over the past few weeks, I’ve filmed a few different Tree Swallow pairs. Here are some photos showing their amazing agility coming-and-going as they incubated and fed their chicks.

House J April 23, 2025

House T April 23, 2025

April 27, 2025

This House S belongs to a pair of Bluebirds. This Tree Swallow did a “fly by,” which I suspect was to determine if it was occupied. I belief this Tree Swallow (which I saw flying along with a mate) was canvassing the neighborhood for good summer housing!

Here are photos from the same time /day of the Bluebirds that were already well along raising their brood in House S.

House G May 10, 2025

House T May 10, 2025

House G May 10, 2025

House G May 11, 2025

House T May 11, 2025

House A May 11, 2025

This pair was still incubating when I took this photo.

House I May 16, 2026

This pair was still incubating when I took this photo

House I May 23, 2025

Still no evidence, yet, of feeding chicks.

House T May 23, 2025

This is a chick that flew from the house prematurely, I believe, when I entered the area while aiming to set up my camera to film this pair that I had been watching since before they even laid eggs.

My heart broke when I saw it fly out, because it fluttered downwards rather than taking proper flight.

When I first arrived in the area, I didn’t see the parent birds. I waited about 10 minutes, and then I thought that the chicks had likely already fledged. I decided to move closer to see if I could determine if there were chicks still in the house. It was then that I saw the chick exit the house. A minute or so later, I saw the parents flying in from quite a distance away. As soon as I saw them, I quickly left the area to allow the parents to tend to the chick. I can only hope that the “Plan B” that these birds have when things don’t happen on a natural schedule, functioned and the chick and its siblings survived.