Tag Archives: aerial insectivores

Barn Swallows Successfully Return to Nest at Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Jon Atwood
Barn Swallows build their nests out of mud often on the eaves, rafters, and cross beams of barns, stables, and sheds.

Last summer, Mass Audubon’s Director of Bird Conservation, Jon Atwood, collaborated with Andy French, project leader at the Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, to study Barn Swallows that were nesting in an aging horse stable destined for demolition during the non-breeding season. Approximately 40 pairs of swallows nested in the stable during 2019; an additional 4-7 pairs nested in an adjacent building, known as the Boat House, which the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) planned to set aside as a more long-term Barn Swallow nesting site and storage area. The aging horse stable was eventually demolished after the resident swallows had migrated to their South American wintering grounds.

The Barn Swallows are back!

We have good news to report! As hoped, the majority of swallows that nested in the stable in 2019 have returned and set up housekeeping in the Boat House. As of June 16 (still relatively early in the breeding season), 30 pairs were actively nesting in the Boat House, and four additional pairs had established nests in nearby artificial structures built for this purpose.

Jon Atwood removes a captured Barn Swallow from a mist net for banding.

Last year Jon banded many (but not all) of the Barn Swallow adults so that we could tell if they returned to the site in future years. Of 51 birds that have been captured using mist nets in the Boat House in 2020, 22 (43%) had been banded as adults in 2019 in the stable. In other studies, researchers have found that return rates of breeding swallows to undisturbed nesting sites have ranged from 20% in Oklahoma to 42% in New York. Although most Barn Swallows do not return to where they were hatched, we have even captured 2 individuals that hatched from nests that were located last year in the horse stable.

A new kiosk gives an up close look at the birds

Conte Refuge visitors watch nesting Barn Swallows at the kiosk at Fort River (photo by Andy French).

USFWS has placed video cameras in the Boat House, and visitors can watch the nesting swallows feed their young from an observation kiosk located near the start of the 1.2 mile long universally-accessible Fort River Birding Trail. Visitors may also be greeted by the families of Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows that are also nesting in the kiosk. The kiosk will eventually house a professionally-designed and fabricated exhibit with information about aerial insectivores.

This success will lead to other successes going forward

Not only does this success story provide a happy ending to the difficult management debate that swirled around the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove the horse stable, but these efforts have also paved the way for future conservation actions that can be applied to other situations. Aging barns occupied by Barn Swallows are a common feature in New England’s historically agricultural landscape, and sometimes these structures cannot be saved. Through the experience at Conte Refuge we have learned important lessons about how to attract and relocate Barn Swallows into alternative structures where they can be protected if occupied barns need to be removed.

We’ll keep you posted as the season progresses.

Tips For August Nighthawk-Spotting

Posted on August 8, 2018 by William Freedberg

Aerobats. Daredevils. Show-offs. The bounding, athletic flight the Common Nighthawk makes for an impressive spectacle in late summer twilight, when groups of these birds swoop to catch insects in midflight.

In the last two weeks of August into early September, these birds power across Massachusetts on hooked, falconlike wings. Nighthawks pause during migration to gather and feed near the edges of open fields, making them easy to observe on their way South.

Two Common Nighthawks streak through the sunset light in Cambridge, MA. Composite image by Will Freedberg.

Nighthawks are totally unrelated to hawks, a group with which they share very little. As members of the nightjar family, nighthawks look similar to the closely-related Whip-poor-will when perched on the ground. In the air, they appear totally unique, agilely swooping and diving in continuous flight.

While springtime brings modest numbers of nighthawks to New England, they show up in much greater numbers on their southbound migration. Nighthawks feed on flying ants, which hatch here en masse in late summer, to fatten up before making the long trip to South America. In spring, when insects are scarce, most nighthawks take a more direct route around Massachusetts to their breeding grounds.

Don’t miss the three-week window for seeing migrating nighthawks this year! Here are some tips for finding them.

 

Find a Field

Just before sunset, nighthawks often emerge around grasslands and big fields. Near Boston, nighthawk hotspots include Millennium Park in West Roxbury, Rock Meadow in Belmont, and Heard Conservation Land in Wayland. In the rest of the state, any open hilltop or good vantage point near a river will do!

 

Follow the Rivers

Nighthawks use river valleys to navigate. While any open field is apt to produce a nighthawk sighting at dusk in late August, rivers running North-South tend to concentrate nighthawks in impressive numbers. In the Connecticut River Valley, this can mean over a thousand birds streaming by over the course of the evening—although such a spectacle doesn’t happen every year.

 

Join a Program

Mass Audubon sanctuaries host nighthawk searches in every part of the state! Here are a few that are coming up:

 

Connecticut River Valley
August 22, 2018

Nighthawks and Chimney Swifts at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

This program will begin with an indoor presentation about each bird before heading out to search the sky for nighthawks and swifts.

 

Western Massachusetts
August 24, 2018

Evening Nighthawk Watch at Canoe Meadows

Search the evening sky for migrating nighthawks at Canoe Meadows. With luck, you’ll be able to observe these beautiful aerial acrobats catching insects on the wing. This event is free.

 

Worcester Area
August 28, 2018:

Migration of the Common Nighthawk in Millbury

Learn about nighthawk adaptations, ecology, and how to look for feeding behavior, while witnessing their migration flight.

 

Boston Area
September 5, 2018:

Sudbury River Nighthawks with Drumlin Farm

Open vistas along the Sudbury River offer perfect vantage points from which to scan the sky for nighthawks. The group will explore the marsh, grassland and orchards for other fall migrants.