Being Free

[Sanity]

I couldn't resist this tree swallow shot. It was a microcosm of society with two birds ignoring each other, two in conversation,......and one......well...doing his own thing.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p244/SanityRegained/birdonawire.jpg

[Capt.Nick]

They're Purple Martins.

[Capt.Nick]

The one 2nd. from the left is called a asym.After second year male.Their chests turn dark in their second year.The one upside down on the end is a female.You can see where she plucked her feathers from her breast (the line down the breast)to 'feather her nest" for warmth for the chicks and press her warm skin against the eggs to help incubation.The other 3 could be either adult females or 1st.year males.They look pretty much the same.After some observation,you tell them apart by their behavior.most young Martins have fledged their nests by now.they're the hotel style bird houses & gourd racks you see in some yards.they fly here from south america yvery spring to nest,then back in the late summer,Aug/Sept.They nest from Fla.,starting in January to june in Canada.They eat only flying insects.

[Sanity]

Thanks for the correction. I'm not good at "ID" with the little ones. So many look so much alike.

[Capt.Nick]

Those 2 species do look alike.The tree swallow is smaller,has a whiter underside & throat with more of a steel blue color.

[PA BRED]

I'd say the upside down one is probably cooling down to ambient temperature wouldn't ya' think?????