Scott, Jared, et al.:
I have a Barn Swallow nest right outside my front door, and in most years it fledges two broods. As of last night, the three juveniles from the second brood were still returning to the nest regularly during the day and roosting in it every night, even though their first flights took place probably ten days ago. The nest is frequently empty when I leave for work in the morning, and I often come home from work in the afternoon to find all three juveniles huddled inside it.
This raises a question of what counts as "fledging" in this species, and how one can tell. The nest that Scott observed was definitely on a later schedule than the one at my house, since the parents haven't been regularly feeding at my house for over a week, but as late as yesterday the nest would probably have earned a legitimate "NY" breeding code if someone happened upon it at the right time of day.
Nathan Pieplow
Boulder
On Sat, Sep 12, 2026 at 10:00 AM Jared Del Rosso <jared.delrosso@gmail.com> wrote:
Inspired by Scott's posts about these swallows, I went for a short "walk" at a local shopping center in Greenwood Village-ish (closer to Littleton & west Centennial than DTC) in Arapahoe County where Barn Swallows typically nest. The first three or so nests were empty, but the fourth had young in it. Two, I think?
- Jared Del RossoCentennial, CO
--On Friday, September 11, 2026 at 8:50:24 AM UTC-6 Scott Somershoe wrote:
I’ve been checking a Barn Swallow nest near my house in Littleton for the last week. I was sure they would have fledged by today, but there are still four young being fed by parents about every 30 seconds! Yes, today, Sept 11.
The latest nest with young in the 2nd Colorado Breeding Bird Atlas was 9 Sept. This nesting attempt is definitely at the very tail end of nesting and maybe the latest recorded nest with young in the state. Either way, these youngins need to get a move on!
Cheers,Scott SomershoeLittleton, JeffCo.
Sent from my iPhone
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