Dennis Forsyth writes:
Yesterday afternoon about 5 this baby swallow became the first of this year’s brood at my place to venture outside. It perched in the hole briefly, then made two quick test flights of a few feet each before scrambling back inside. It hasn’t shown itself again. Probably finding the big world a little overwhelming.
My experience over the past few years with swallows is that unlike robins, towhees, chickadees, etc, swallow chicks pretty much need to be ready to fly, forage, and, in general, act like grown-ups from day one. Not surprising since their feeding depends very much on flying skill. The parents will feed babies for a day or two while perched on wires, fences, etc but that is a pretty brief interlude. Dennis
