[EBB Sightings] Tree swallows have arrived in Fremont

Thanks for your interesting and excellent EBB sightings post, Stephanie.

Fascinating phenology, in terms of the TREE SWALLOW sightings.

As one thought worthy of banter among us all here, please note your TREE SWALLOW individuals may have been First of Season (FOS), but, then again, there's another potential valid option:

They are "over-wintering" or, more exact, "non-breeding season residents" that are present in the Bay Area (whereas, of course, a larger percentage of the breeding populations for this species travel farther south than the Bay Area as obligate neotropical migrants).

In fact, in this sense, it's true that Marin Co., for example, has during multiple recent "winter" seasons/non-breeding seasons hosted small populations of TREE SWALLOW. Perhaps this also true for the Fremont area? I suspect as such, given the paragraph below at the XX where I outline the typical, AVERAGE return date for TREE SWALLOW in the Bay Area according to records (1967-1989 and 1900-1980, below at XX)

Note for folks interested in seeing TREE SWALLOW now or soon:

A good spot to see this species during the non-breeding season is the
Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds, San Rafael (off Smith Ranch Rd.). Directions to this spot are easily Googled with a "Las Gallinas Wildlife Ponds" search in the box at www.google.com

That's not to say, Stephanie, again, that your swallows were not migrants. Perhaps they are early ones back. But we won't know for sure unless banding occurred on the individuals you espied and a recapture of them in nets occurs to confirm their recent whereabouts/travels from late 2009 through today.

XX

The historical/typical AVERAGE return for TREE SWALLOW in the Bay Area according to a nice chart in Dave Shuford's "The Marin Co. Breeding Bird Atlas" (Bushtit Books, 1993) is 2/13 at the Palomarin Field Station near Bolinas, Marin Co.....and 2/22 for Marin Co. (data from various sources as compiled by Dave Shuford). 

Again, thanks for the post.

Regards, Daniel


Daniel Edelstein

Novato, CA (Bay Area)

&


Ellison Bay, WI

http://www.warblerwatch.com 

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