ARE THESE MARTINS

[Guest]

LOOK LIKE FLY LIKE,BUT DON'T SEEM TO HAVE RIGHT VOCALS. HELP???

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi,

That is definitely not a martin.
I think its a Northern Rough-winged Swallow, but I've never seen one perched or that close. I'm not a competent field birder, so don't take my word for it!

Great photos:
http://www.birdphotography.com/species/nrws.html
http://www.bird-friends.com/BirdPage.ph ... %20Swallow


Link to vocalizations:
http://www.imperial.cc.ca.us/birds/rw-swllw.htm

Has a pair claimed a martin gourd?
Now, that would be unusual!!

My best, Mary

[Glen Webb Jr]

Yip, definitely a rough-winged swallow. We have quite a few passing through right now and looks like our one pair returned this year again. They nest in an old abandoned house across the road from my property.

[Mary Dawnsong]

Thanks, Glen.
Do your roughies nest in an old abandoned martin house or farm house?

[Glen Webb Jr]

Oh sorry, it's an old abandoned farm house. In years past it hosted barn swallows, a pee-wee family, a pair of rough-winged swallows, and a kestrel pair. Odd combination, especially with the kestrels, but the kestrels never showed any aggression to these small songbirds. With West Nile becoming a scare several years ago, the kestrels vanished. Now I think there is another pair occupying the house, or at least nesting very close by as I see them hunting all the time.

But so far looks like the rough-winged swallows are calling the farm house home again.

[Guest]

Yip, definitely a rough-winged swallow. We have quite a few passing through right now and looks like our one pair returned this year again. They nest in an old abandoned house across the road fro
m my property.

THANKS ,GUESS ITS GOING TO BE LONG WAIT ALL OVER AGAIN,FOR NEXT YEAR.

THANKS AGAIN
I R COTTON-TN

[CUL Lou~Mich]

Yep, I believe those are Rough Wings also. I have three pairs at work. Oddest place though. They nest in the undercarriage of a semi "Trailor" There are three trailors, and there's one pair each. The really odd part is the trailors are moved every day. Two are moved around 18 miles one way, the other only about three. (Just over one mile as they fly.) I'm not sure if the birds move with the trailor, or if they just wait for the next trailor, and continue building nests, laying eggs, feeding babies, etc. I've been watching them about five years now. I quite often see them perching on handrails, or on the ground. CUL Lou

[Mary Dawnsong]

Hi Cotton,

Don't call it quits for the season, yet!

Locals would know better, but I would think you've got a couple more weeks to attract breeding pairs of martins in TN. I would also expect that subbie migration is pretty hot in your area right now.

Good luck to you, Mary

[Guest]

Great photos, Cotton. Agree with Mary, Glen & Lou - Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Differentiate from Bank Swallow by lack of brown breast band. Preferred nest site are abandoned burrows of Belted Kingfishers and Bank Swallows, but are increasingly found nesting in drainage pipes & tiles, or in cliff crevices and road cuts, sometimes far from water.

Have these swallows taken over the martin gourds? Or are they just resting on the rack? I find it unusual for a roughie to sit still long enough to have his picture taken!

Great stories of nesting roughies, Glen and Lou.

[Guest]

THEY JUST SHOWED UP THIS AM ,THEY WERE TRYING TO BUILD IN MY NATURAL LINE GOURD'S. BUT I'V KEEP THEM RUN OFF ALL DAY,I'VE HAD SOME VISTORS EARLY LAST MONTH BUT NONTHING IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS OR SO.