My husband thinks Tree Swallows look like they are wearing a batman cap and cape. Susan Renkle described them as Tuxedo Birds. (Yes, he is standing on a wine cork. I use them to prevent water from getting into the 3/4" conduit the boxes are mounted on, as when the water freezes and thaws during the winter, it splits the conduit.)
Tree Swallows are very brave, and this female is reluctant to abandon her eggs when I approach to monitor the box.
A Tree Swallow in profile. Notice the length of the wings and tail, and the short legs.
May 29, 2008 - Take Your Pick (parents feeding fledgling)
June 10, 2008 - That Look Belongs in a Holster (female MOBL)
You cannot begin to preserve any species of animal unless you preserve the habitat in which it dwells. Disturb or destroy that habitat and you will exterminate the species as surely as if you had shot it. So conservation means that you have to preserve forest and grassland, river and lake, even the sea itself. This is vital not only for the preservation of animal life generally, but for the future existence of man himself—a point that seems to escape many people.
-Gerald Durrell, The Nature Conservancy
