Photos by BarrytheBirder

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

The Tree Swallow is a dark, glossy metallic blue, slightly duller in female, greenish in fall plumage; white below.   Its white cheek patch does not extend above its eye.   It is found throughout Canada and the United States.

It is common in wooded habitats near water, and where dead trees provide nest boxes.   It also uses man-made nest boxes.   They migrate in large flocks and go north earlier in spring and linger farther north than other swallows in the the fall.   Feeding on bayberries allows it to winter farther north than other swallows.

They gather in huge flocks along the east and west coasts in the fall, where they circles in big clouds like leaves caught in swirling winds.   Their voices are series of liquid twitters.

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BarrytheBirder