Subject: baby swallows
Date: Jul 5 17:23:37 1999
From: jbroadus - jbroadus at seanet.com


By now everyone has been noticing that this is the time of year for klutzy
baby birds, especially, for us, robins in the mulberry tree.

For anyone in need of an especially good baby fix, go out to the pond on
Clay Street in Auburn, just north of Main, that was built as wetland
mitigation for the Emerald Downs race track. There is a short length of
power or phone lines ending at a pole with a kestrel box. The baby cliff
swallows from the colony that lives under the Higway 18 overpass are out in
force on those lines. It looks like all the moms and dads have moved their
broods over to the lines to stuff them with the bugs that hang out over the
pond. It was quite a sight today. Several different stages of unfinished,
mostly still downy-feathered, ungainly little puffs still trying to learn
how to hold on to a wire. Also a few unfinished looking V.G. swallows. Saw
an adult cliff stuff a major sized dragon fly down a too small open maw-- a
real show as the little guy fluttered his wings, (looked like he was trying
to maintain balance) while his little beady eyes seemed to bulge as he
packed down the monster bug. Also, noticed two or three of the babies trying
to stuff themselves in to the kestrel box-- lots of fluttering and sheer
confusion.

Yesterday was baby Bewick's wren day where we were banding at the Morse
preserve in Pierce County (just west of Graham). Noticed a house wren making
the rounds of several bluebird type boxes there-- first one I've noticed
north of Olympia.

Finally, the brood of the pair of redtails that nest in the tall cottonwood
just west of the interurban trail, between highway 18 and Main street, are
out and about, making the usual confused redtail bleats as they try to
figure out what mom and dad are doing cruising the freeways.

Jerry R. Broadus
Geometrix Surveying, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Puyallup, WA. 98371