Remember that old nursery rhyme about “Four and Twenty Blackbirds baked in a pie?” Wednesday morning we didn’t have that many blackbirds to look at, thankfully. We did have 39 barn swallows on a wire, though. Our hay crop had been mowed and I think the barn swallows were checking out the scene. Every time I’ve had the brush mower out with the tractor, I’ve had between five and ten swallows keeping up with me. I know when the mower is going, I’m stirring up lots of insect traffic, and the swallows know that is a good time to get an easy meal. This kind of activity by swallows is widely documented. Considering they eat a large number of flies and other “bugs,” they are welcome summertime guests (they travel to South America during the winter months).
Also spotted in the late afternoon, just before leaving for church was an Eastern Kingbird. The scientific name of this bird is Tyrannus tyrannus. This bird is in the “flycatcher” family. We most usually see these on the electric fence wire and on any scattered stemmy growth in the pasture that provides it a hunting perch. They hang out in fields and other open areas, so watch for them in open ground. Males and females are hard to tell apart because of similar coloration, but one thing that gives away the male is that he can ruff his head feathers into a crest. LIke the swallow, the Eastern Kingbird winters in South America, so you’ll only see one of these in the summer months.
Filed under: Bird Watching | Tagged: barnswallows, Eastern Kingbird
