July 2009

Monthly Archive

Fri 24 Jul 2009

Barn Swallows

Posted by Jim Bradbury under barn swallows
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Last week we had a bad battery in a smoke detector setting off the alarm on all the smoke detectors in the house in the middle of the night. It happened twice before I figured out what was going on and located the bad battery. The day after this happened the pair of barn swallows who had been spending the night were nowhere around. Then two days later one of the pair returned and started spending the night again on the roosting perch.

Today both birds of the pair have been here together on the perches under the eaves. We’ll see tonight if they both spend the night.

We still don’t have any eggs in the nest. The birds have not been in the nest in about two weeks. So, maybe we won’t have any eggs or chicks this year.

 

Sat 4 Jul 2009

Harrassing Mockingbird

Posted by Jim Bradbury under backyard , barn swallows
[2] Comments 
mockingBird1 mockingBird2

 
This mockingbird has been harrassing the barn swallows for the past few days. The barn swallows are gone most of the day, but the mockingbird doesn’t know this. He is chirping incessantly near the patio out back looking for the barn swallows. I have seen the barn swallows dive-bomb the mockingbird, but that doesn’t deter him the least little bit. In fact, it just antagonizes the mockingbird. This mockingbird is really a bold little guy, and spends 30 minutes or more at a time chirping out back, looking for the barn swallows. One of the favorite places for the mockingbird to perch is my rain gauge. I am constantly cleaning out the bird poop from the rain gauge.