Tag Archives: Violet-green Swallows

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I'll let Ann tell the story. She wrote, "I was happy with today's Violet-green Swallow shots. Those were from Moonraker [on The Sea Ranch]. Catching swallows on the wing is almost hopeless, but today I happened to see a fledgling sitting atop the Moonraker Recreation Center waiting to be fed. The first feeding I caught on camera was especially fun as a series: 1) baby swallow calling to be fed

2) momma swallow flying in and feeding on the wing and in the process

3) knocking baby swallow off the ledge. Kind of like those blooper take-out moments shown during the credits after a movie.”

Whoops - sorry, junior!

Thanks to Ann for a fun series of photos.

It's warm on the coast today  - beach weather!

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Lots of birds use dead trees. We see the Gualala Bald Eagle pair often perched in a snag just north of the mouth of the Gualala River. Acorn Woodpeckers use snags to drill their holes, which they then proceed to stuff with acorns, creating a granary tree. Michael Reinhart found this dead tree providing nesting cavities for several birds, including Pygmy Nuthatches. He also found Violet-green Swallows bringing insects to their chicks.

The moral of the story is, if you have a dead tree on your property and it isn't a hazard, consider leaving it up for the birds.

Thanks to Mike for allowing me to share his photos with you here.

We woke up to drippy fog this morning, and temps are in the high 50's. Years ago a good friend, Linda Brodie, told me to "embrace your inner fog," a fun way of being able to enjoy the fog we get this time of year. The moisture it brings is very welcome and I'm embracing my inner fog today!

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Jeff and Pearl Watts put up a beautiful bird house, and they were rewarded when a pair of Violet-green swallows built a nest inside. Jeff photographed two chicks peeking out through the opening.

Violet-green swallows peers out of the birdhouse by Jeff Watts

Here's a photo Linda Bostwick took of a male, with a feather in its beak.

Male Violet-green Swallow with a feather by Linda Bostwick

Thanks to Jeff and Linda for allowing me to share their photos with you here.