NPS photo Today at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge I saw two tree swallows. Two weeks ago another volunteer named Dieter and I went to put up bird houses for them. Dieter put up three bird houses in all as he repaired some others. Since there are a lot fewer trees in NYC, the bird houses are needed to replace the natural tree holes the swallows would normally nest in. I'm glad they found a place to live. The males and females look similar with a blue-black or a green-black body with a white belly. The tree swallow feeds mostly on insects like flying beetles and ants, mosquitoes, and grasshoppers. The nest is built inside a box or hole by the female. She lays up to 4 - 6 white eggs from April to June. In the in the summer, the tree swallow ranges from Canada to California and in the winter they go down south to Florida or Texas. - Taylor Ramos |
Last updated: February 26, 2015