This is bird note.

The first swallows of the season,

arcing across the sky are an elegant sign of Spring's arrival.

A glint of sapphire blue signals tree swallows, typically the earliest species to arrive north.

Most swallow species that nest in North America spend their winters in the tropical zones of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

That's largely because they eat almost nothing except flying insects.

When the bugs die off in the fall, the swallows head south.

Tree swallows, however, also eat small fruits,

so they can survive for longer periods

than other swallow species, which depend on bugs.

If tree swallows migrate north to nest and arrive before the insects are out, they'll supplement their diets

with fruit like bayberries. These berries have a waxy skin and tree swallows are one of the few species

of birds that are able to digest the waxy coating.

Some populations of tree swallows have been able to find enough winter fruit

to not even bother migrating south.

Come springtime, that gives the tree swallows a competitive advantage for limited nesting sites.

Welcome tree swallows to your yard next spring with a nest box.

Find out how to make one at birdnote.org.

I'm Mary McCann. The you're