After walking around FWG, I began to do my annual cleaning and checking of nest boxes at the site. So far I have cleaned out 21. Of those, only five contained swallow nests. I'd kept track of the boxes I'd seen swallows going in and out of during the breeding season, and knew that they had all produced some young, but was curious to see if there were any eggs or dead young in the boxes. There weren't, so I consider those successful nestings. However, it is the lowest number yet for the boxes around the pond. Later on I'll clean out the Old Field boxes and see what the story is there.

This particular nest box is in a situation that swallows would not find attractive, but I've left it up for other species such as chickadees, or house wrens and house sparrows. Last year chickadees did nest in this box, but in the spring a mouse had created a small nest made entirely of dog-strangling vine (DSV)and I left it alone because there were many other boxes for chickadees to choose from. Now, this box is full of a very warm and cosy nest, still made entirely from DSV and containing five very cute mice!