Day 18 with Young Green Herons and Cliff Swallows

                                                                    Green Heron #1

                                                                        Ditto

                                                                Green Heron #2

                                                                       View 2

                                                                          View 3

                                                                 Second Youngest

                                                                Youngest Green Heron

                                                                      Youngest (Top)
                                                        and Middle Green Heron (Below)

                                                                         View 2

                                                                Middle Green Heron

                                                            Two Youngest Green Herons

                                                                            View 2

                                                        Cliff Swallow Fledgling (Center)

                                                                Juvenile Cliff Swallows

                                                                Juvenile Cliff Swallow

                                                                  Adult Cliff Swallow
                                                        Attending Nestling at Mud Nest

                                                                         View 2


061119

0700-0837/63-69 F/partly cloudy/SE-6/74-66% RH/30.18 Hg and falling-30.23 Hg and steady

It appeared on this date that the two eldest Green Herons may have fledged, as they could not be located with the others.  The helpers were also missing, which tells me that it was getting critical
that these birds begin to fly to start caring for themselves.

The second nest has been attended for a couple of weeks, so it is suspected that there will soon
be more young in the colony that will need exercise/flight attention in ten days to two weeks so another nest can be started.

This was also a good day to hang off the side of the hill at the Lakeview Road Bridge to get more
photos of Cliff Swallows, as more birds are fledging from the nest.

Green Herons Study and Learn Though Their Surroundings

                                                                  Barn Swallow

                                                                  Cliff Swallows



060919

0700-0730/74-75 F/mostly cloudy/NNW-4/77-79% RH/29.99-30. Hg and rising

This was a good day to observe all swallows, as many had finally fledged from their gourd-shaped mud nests along Lakeview Road Bridge.  The two swallows that breed regularly in Oklahoma are  Cliff, Northern Rough-winged, and Barn Swallows.   Cave Swallows have been observed as far south as Manitou in 2015 and photos have been obtained for breeding birds at the Wichita Mountain NWR in 2012 with earlier breeding individuals unproven since 201l.  They may have made it as far north as Lake Thunderbird in Norman in 2017.  Non-breeders are also seen regularly this year along the Red River, and there could be breeding birds at Red Slough.

No doubt that within the next decade they will be breeding in Stillwater, as well, possibly at Boomer Lake.  The higher likelihood could be at Lake Carl Blackwell for Payne County.

                                                    Adult Green Heron departs The Cove, as
                                                    immature Green Herons await a morsel.

                                                       Hopeful Green Herons for slurry

                                                                A Parent of Clutch 1

                                               Young Green Herons Explore Home Base

                                                Immature Green Herons Enticed by Other
                                                                Species in Flight

                                                          Several teen Heron Chicks

                                                             Exercise Those Wings

                                              Getting the Right Idea By Watching Others

                                          Rapt Attention On a Passing Great-tailed Grackle

                                           Plenty of Stimulation For Young Minds In Area

       
                                                              Not Missing Anything

                                             Young Green Heron Seeks Flight Instruction

                                                             Is Food On the Wing?

                                                Dinner Is Served, But It Won't wait Long

                                                            Can You Hear Us Now?

                                                       Feeding Frenzy Is About to Begin

                                                    Helpers Are Here For Feeding Chores

                                             Moving Around Faster Helps Muscles Grow

Wings and Legs Get Experience

                                                Some Get More Sure Footed with Practice

                                                              Where's the Fish?

                                                             Helpers Are In the Tree

                                                          Helpers Make Youngsters Work
                                                                     For Their Meals

                                                                 Waiting Nets Nothing

                                                             Using Wings For Balance

                                                                   On the Lookout

                                                           Brown Thrasher In Nest

                                                                Adults Take a Break

                                                         Waiting to Turn Fish to Slurry


061019

0719-0837/64-69 F/clear/N-11/70-64% RH/30.41-30.46 Hg and rising


It's hard work being a Green Heron, unless one is a lazy Green Heron, and like any other bird, survival means work.  The young will lollygag for as long as they can, unless they are pushed by family, and sometimes they have to be pushed hard.  Observing other species is important and sometimes the basis for flight is learned in that manner, but it must be done quickly in order to survive.

Birds have an accelerated growth rate.  They don't live as long as humans and there's a big difference between a two-month-old human and a two month old bird, as they have to migrate during the same year.  Hatching in May and heading south on the bird's own power in October is not a lot of time to grow up as a migratory species.  This is part of the reason why only half the young make it to their destination for the winter (our winter), and half of those return as helpers the following year.

It is true that the adult males migrate first in many species to set up a territory.  The adult female will then follow a couple of weeks later.  They then build a nest and get right to business shortly after their arrival in the northern hemisphere to breed.  There is no time to waste.

If they arrive when it is too cold, there may be no food in some cases.  They may have to wait, and if they arrive too late, some will miss their opportunity for the season.  Global warming or climate change waits for no bird.

As time progresses, the cycle may come together for many birds, but there will always be a few that continue to delay, and if that is the case, the species will not survive to prosper.  However, birds have been around longer than we have, so they may realize that they must persevere through adjustments.

This will be a learning experience for them and for us.  If we choose to negate the data, that is on us, but birds have very real criteria to handle, and their DNA pushes them forward.

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Northern Rough-winged Swallow

These uncommon brown swallows nest in sandbanks, road cuts, soft cliffs, or in crevices of manmade structures where they can gain purchase.  The young birds in the video were waiting to be fed, and it gave a nice view of them gaping.  Juveniles also have cinnamon-colored wingbars.  They are solitary nesters, and  sometimes several pairs will nest somewhat near one another, which is not as close as Barn Swallows.  They prefer open areas with open substrate, but don't always nest in commercially made structures.

Nesting from April through July, they are single brooded, and it tends to be rarest in the southwest part of Oklahoma, but likely nests in the open woodlands with nearby water.  Sometimes they use old kingfisher, squirrel, or Bank Swallow holes that are still useable.  They have a twig nest at the end of a burrow, which the female incubates for about two weeks.  Both parents feed the young, who leave the nest in about three weeks.

                                                      Northern Rough-winged Swallows
                                                             Boomer Lake Park, 2017

Summer residents in nearly the entire country, the white undertail coverts are seen while they are in flight, and their shorter, square tails are also noted during that time.  The leading edges of the outer primaries lack the barbules that most birds have, hence the name "rough-winged."

They feed over water more often than not, and are excellent for low level flight over varied terrain.  They are found from sea level to six thousand feet, often snatching insects from the top of the water.

                                                      Northern rough-winged Swallow
                                                          Patagonia Lake SP, AZ 2018

The species has declined over the past four decades, likely caused by pesticides, pollutants, climate change, and insecticides.  All of these factors have also been affecting other birds like other swallows, swifts, nightjars, and flycatchers.  In view of this, there are many questions affecting the health of the air, or aeroecology, another ecological system.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow and the Birds of Southeast Arizona:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2018/05/birding-on-shoestring-american.html

Northern Rough-winged Swallow and the Birds of Boomer Lake:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/04/springs-migrants-have-been-dropping-in.html

Oklahoma Breeding Bird Species Profile: Tree Swallow

https://phys.org/news/2017-11-birds.html

These common birds nest in nestboxes or tree cavities over water or in open fields, where they will also forage for insects or berries.  They are the only swallows that can eat berries and seeds over a lengthy time period, which is why they can overwinter in the Middle Atlantic states.  They are found nearly everywhere there are large open populations of insects.

Like Purple Martins, Tree Swallows hunt in flight and pull insects from the air.  They will hunt over marshes in groups, then roost communally at night.  They breed in colonies where nest sites are available and associate with other swallow species.  Their song is a simple gurgle.

They prefer cavities in dead trees or snags, as long as it is over or near water.  The female builds a cup nest and usually lines it with feathers for her four to six eggs.  The male will watch the eggs, but he will not incubate them.  Both sexes will feed the young.

                                                                      Tree Swallow
                                                                   Red Slough, 2016

These songbirds are usually on the breed grounds between March and May.  Fall migration begins in July or August, with peaks in September or October.

A recent study shows that birds in agricultural areas are working harder to capture preferred prey.  Due to preferred food over wetlands and insecticide use, it was suspected that they could be shifting over to terrestrial protein.  That turned out not to be the case, for agricultural resident birds tended to weigh less overall.  Diet quality was much better in unadultered grassland as opposed to insecticide laden cropland.

Tree Swallows usually nest in the same area each year, but they may disperse if the nesting year is poor.  The male will attack the female during courtship, and she may wing-flutter to encourage subsequent behavior.  The male will hover over the female, and he will stand upon her wings to make cloacal contact, which holding her neck feathers in his bill.  Then he will bring her to the nest site, where they will raise and tend young.  She is dependent upon food sources and the weather to determine when she will begin laying eggs.

Diet is mostly flies, but they will also take seeds, berries and mollusks.

Genetics and Tree Swallows:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2017/11/an-inside-look-at-tree-swallow-research.html

Tree Swallows and the Birds of McCurtain County:

https://debhirt.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-birds-of-mccurtain-county-oklahoma.html