A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Landscape trials and triumphs Butterfly and Bird Gardens Coolest bird day EVER!

I was sitting on the back porch talking to my friend and all of a sudden I SAW the baby birds come out of the birdhouse and fly!!! Baby starlings!

There were 2, both sitting on the clothesline shortly after their brief flapping around attempt at flight thru the air.



They hung around forever on the clothesline, and even tried to get back in the house, but mama bird flew out and chased them off---I guess once you're out, you're out. You can see one of them trying to get back inside to no luck.



AND, literally 2 minutes after I saw them coming out flying I saw my first hummer of the year at my feeder!

What a cool bird day!

It was the coolest thing ever watching them tring to fly around.....and get back in there.

I wonder if that's really how mothers are with their baby birds? Once you're out, you're out?

I don't LOVE Starlings, but I don't mind them too much...and I'm just glad the birdhouse is in use each year!

That is very cool Loz! What an exciting bird day for you!

I DID feel sorry for the babies......

And yep, it was awesome---I've never actually been outside and saw birds coming out of the nest before.

Those are NOT Starlings, Loz. Those are Swallows!!! They appear to be either Tree Swallows, Purple Martins or Possibly Barn Swallows. All three species are found in Maryland.

Wow Thorny, you're right! I just assumed they were starlings, because they nested in there for the past few years.....

I knew something was nesting in there and assumed it was Starlings again....but they always sat on top of the BH for hours at a time and now I think about it I didn't see them sitting out there at all.

I did an image search of all 3 and it does sort of look like a tree swallow huh?

All I know is that they flew out of the birdhouse and could barely fly right, they sat on that clothesline forever.

Actually now I think about it....are they even baby birds? Or are they normal sized for a swallow? Maybe they were in there trying to steal eggs or food or something and got chased out by the real mother?

Their flight seemed so uncertain and flappy, and they came out of their where birds are nesting so I just assumed they were new birds.

I think swallows too, glad you said it thorny--we had quite a lot of barn swallows out at the farm, they came back every year---and we loved them & I miss them, they love to eat things like mosquitoes---but no such luck in town here-- They look full grown to me but then pictures can be decieving.

Either way great birding day for you congratulations!!!

Maybe they were sneaking in and got chased out by the mama starling---I'd say it's starlings in there. Seems like they use the birdhouse every year.

Even if they are swallows that's cool, I've never saw any in my yard ever before.

Word must be getting out between the birds to come to my yard for food, shelter, and a free bath!

Those look more like Tree Swallows than anything else to me. Yep. Tree Swallows. They were checking out your Martin house. They nest singly in birdhouses. Bright blue above, BRILLIANT white below, loong forked tails......Tree Swallows!

we had to leave the barn doors open so my swallows could nest when they returned each year--but it was such fun to watch them swoop no one minded. Hey thorny--would there be a trick to getting tree swallows to come around here?? I would love it if I could-

According to Sibley, Tree Swallows do not nest in colonies but nest singly in bird houses or hollowtrees in large fields or near bodies of water. Whenever I'VE seen Tree Swallows, they have ALWAYS been flying and cavorting in large, loose, flocks over the top of large lakes and ponds chirping and chattering happily. I saw some just a week and a half on Old Hickory Lake, five miles from my house.

oh well then I guess i will just have to hope I see them someplace else--thanks anyway though