Barn Swallow

I went adventuring on Antelope Island last summer with my family.
These swallows were nesting in one of the structures on the island. Swallows often nest in colonies, and there were many nests in close proximity on the island.

Finding a mate happens quickly once they have reached their breeding grounds and a new pair will work together to build a nest a week or two after. Barn Swallows nest in caves but have benefited greatly from the nest sites human buildings provide for hundreds of years, if not more.

Both parents build the nest, care for their eggs, and help raise their nestlings after hatching. Juveniles from the first brood of the season will sometimes help feed nestlings from the second. There are also cases of extra adults helping with the nesting process and defending the nest sites. Adults look very similar, though female's tail-points are shorter than male's. I think the adult above is a female.

They eat a diet almost entirely of insects. You can see them flying acrobatically near the ground or water surface to catch them. Good places to find these birds are near ponds or small streams and fields where insects are plentiful.

The nests held young at various age stages. You can see in the first photo they are much younger than these. These Barn Swallow youths are starting to form the feathers that they will need for flight and braving adult life.

!steemitworldmap 41.032330 lat -112.227852 long d3scr