It’s Feb. 20 and the first spring migrant is flying low over the waters of a mountain lake in Transylvania County. The first tree swallow has arrived, but winter has not yet retreated and it’s a ...

One of the great joys of spring is the first appearance of the tree swallows. In my yard, this event almost always occurs in the first week of April; this year was no exception. It was a close call, ...

A male tree swallow gives a good yawn in the early morning light. This photo shows how wide a swallow can open its mouth when trying to capture flying insects. Credit: PHOTO BY BILL DANIELSON One of ...

Migratory swallows in search of food arrived in west Sonoma County around the beginning of April, when insects were becoming more abundant. The streamlined aerial acrobats will stay here long enough ...

Spring has come and birds are on the move. Many summer birds are yet to appear; April will be the peak month of arrivals. Some species, however, conduct their travels on a slightly earlier schedule ...

I never tire of watching the aerial acrobatics of swallows as they swoop over fields, darting back and forth to snap up flying insects. With their smooth, flowing flight and pointed wings, they are ...

THE SWALLOWS ARE supposed to return in March and April. Birds don’t always do what we expect them to do. Reports of swallow sightings began coming in this winter, and that is more than a little ...

As climate change worsens, spring temperatures come earlier in the year, cueing tree swallows to build their nests sooner. This leaves baby swallows vulnerable as the inevitable cold snap happens. “It ...

ITHACA, N.Y. – Warming temperatures from climate change cause tree swallows to nest up to two weeks earlier than they did in the 1970s, but early spring cold snaps can hinder nestlings’ growth and ...