Concord, Mass.
1909.
April 7
(No 2)
  Hitherto I have seen at the most no more than
3 Tree Swallows at one time about the bird houses at
the rear of our farm house. To-day there were no less
than 12 birds. Two of the boxes seemed to have been
taken permanent possession of by pairs of Swallows who
remained about them the whole time. The female of one pair
came to the box with a bill full of dry grass but
finally dropped it without entering the hole, perhaps
because I was standing directly beneath her although
I doubt if she could have been seriously engaged
in nest building so very early in the season.
She remained on the box & her mate in a neighboring apple
tree while a man was grafting the tree within a few
yards of both birds. It was not less interesting than
delightful to see all these Swallows circling in a compact
flock over the orchard & then separating into pairs to visit the boxes.
White bellied Swallows
Female collecting building material.