While out before 8 am across from 1 Mason St. on the N side of the Cape Charles
harbor, I was watching several Tree Swallows on a iron fence. A bird house was
attached to the fence and the swallows periodically checked it out. As I stood
there, about 30 feet away, I noticed activity in the grass under the birdhouse.
Two Tree Swallows, wings raised, pressing themselves into the ground. Oh,
their copulating.....interesting. Then one Tree flew up to the fence leaving
two on the ground. So there were actually three. There wings were held high
and their head were buried in what appeared to be each other. Suddenly, they
began rolling across the grass, and I caught flashes of orange. Tiring out,
out popped a Eastern Bluebird, feathers askew and upright in the grass alert
for another attack. Within a minute, it flew to the birdhouse to claim it,
perching at the hole, while a Tree Swallow periodically zipped passed it,
nipping it, but
they couldn't dislodge the bluebird. The were holding the bluebird deep in
the grass and appeared to be trying to kill it. The bluebird stayed at the
entrance to the house, while the Tree Swallows slowly stopped their harassment,
but never left. This was new to me, I haven't heard of such aggressive
behavior in Tree Swallows before.
My first Barn Swallow flew up the bay. And dozens of Laughing Gulls were
arriving. The Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers have left, haven't seen one in nearly
10 days.
David Abbott
Cape Charles VA
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