00:56:12: First Fledge!! One of the nestlings perches backward on the nest and loses his grip and flies away. All is well. She returned safely 15 minutes later.
It's day nineteen after the eggs have hatched and the nestlings have taken on all of their adult form and behavior. The nestlings are fully grown and will often perch on the edge of the nest to flap their wings. They will fly any day now. But Mom and Dad are still spending all of their time racing food back to feed them!
This is Bertie and Ernie's nest on the west side of our porch on Lopez Island, WA. They built their nest in the spring of 2023 and raised two broods over the summer. They returned this year in early May 2024. Bertie and Ernie are still incubating but have already started feeding their hatchlings. You will see them trade off incubation and feeding duty every five or ten minutes.
Barn swallows make their nests in the eaves of our home. While they can make a mess, they are also fun to have around. They eat a ton of insects, are beautiful to watch when they eat on the wing, and we can watch each brood hatch and get raised by their parents. During the summer, we will start a new stream of a nest every day. Sometimes the nests are full of activity with the feeding of nestlings and fledglings. Sometimes everyone is out of the nest enjoying the pasture and pond.
More information:
The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) incubation phase is 13-17 days. Both the male and female take turns incubating. Once the nestlings hatch, both parents take turns feeding the young. About 18-23 after hatching, the young leave the nest. At the end of summer, the parents and their children will fly to Central America to spend the winter and return to our house in early May.
Notes:
During the incubation phase, Bertie and Ernie worked together to warm the eggs. They will swap places every 10 minutes or so. Bertie (the mother) has shorter tail feathers and normally faces the camera when in the nest. Ernie (the father) has longer tail feathers and generally faces away from the camera.
During the hatchling phase, Bertie and Ernie work together to feed the hatchlings by putting food in their mouths. In the beginning, the hatchlings will open their mouths when they hear the parents sing. After their eyes develop, they can see when there's food coming!