Floyd,
I find that the V-Gs show up in my yard in March, but after pairing up and
scouting out a box to use, they only come around on nice days. Eventually they
build, but if the weather is cool, they go off to lower elevations, presumably
to feed in moderate areas over water. Since there is a lot of competition from
House Wrens here, we have boxes all over the place, and the swallows,
unfortunately for following their progress, choose the ones that are harder to
watch. Three weeks to a week and a half ago, they were gathering bits of dried
grass and some feathers. Until there are young and I can see fecal sacs being
dropped, I tend to hear them before dawn and see little activity during the day.
Pamela Johnston
From: Floyd Schrock
Sent: Friday, June 12, 2015 5:24 PM
To: OBOLINKS ; Yamhillbirders
Subject: [obol] V-g Swallow nest
Today I'm able to see (via the in-box camera) that "my" Violet-green Swallows
finally have eggs in their nest. This follows the usual schedule, but it's
interesting to me that other species (Juncos and Robins, anyway) already have
fledged young. Although this pair began inspecting the box more than two months
ago, they were leisurely in the nest-building process. I suppose it's a matter
of timing to correspond with insect hatches to come in about two weeks.
A link to photos is at http://empids.blogspot.com/.
====================
Floyd Schrock
McMinnville, Oregon USA
http://empids.blogspot.com
====================
