A little mystery and a near altercation
This morning when I headed down the trail to check out the nesting boxes for signs of new life, I think I detected a chorus of little chirping sounds from inside one of the boxes. As I watched, a swallow flashed out of the box, way too fast for me to capture a picture, while another stood sentinel on top of the box.
I observed some preening that involved a lot of flexible contortions…
And then another swallow landed next to the first one.
Is it my imagination, or is that a male that flew in to give the female a good look? Is a little swallow romancing going on here? I’m no expert, and all swallows look alike to me, but this looks suspiciously like a prelude to mating. But then, who was making the chirping sounds I heard from the box? I guess we’re seeing a little mystery here, so I will have to keep you posted if anything changes.
One more piece of news before we leave the park today. There was a near-altercation between a red-bellied woodpecker and a redwinged blackbird. Take a look:
Unfortunately my camera was zoomed in a little too tight to get all the action, but it looks like a serious fight might ensue. However, the RWB took off, leaving a surprised red-bellied woodpecker in temporary possession of the fence post, so a full-fledged fight was avoided.
That’s all the excitement for today. Come back tomorrow. There’s always something new happening along the trail.
