Sharon had opened a window in her house and taken the screen off, so we could watch the birds more covertly, than from the porch.  She said the babies had been making a racket lately, and shaking the nest box from their jumping around inside.

First, their little heads starting showing up in the nest hole entrance.

Parents continued to bring food throughout the fledging, but at one point in the process, started to bring food to the hole and then leave without doing a feeding, as if to give the message, if you want this, you'll have to leave the nest to eat it.

They also called to the young birds persistently.

Adult dropping food off, as babies come to the nest hole opening without parent having to enter in to feed them.

The two mishaps were, baby number 3 actually flew into Sharon's house through the open window, and, after a series of mis-adventures inside her living room (at one point it seemed like Sharon was just going to have to live with a baby bird on her ceiling fan),  I was able to pick the baby up.  However, when I brought the baby to the open window and opened my hand up for it to fly away, instead it had grabbed my thumb as if it was a branch and would not let go.  We had to wait, with my hand outstretched and the baby perched on it, until the adult birds returned, and only then would the baby let go to join them in the tree, after they called back and forth to each other.

Baby number 4 didn't fly into the house, but did land on the porch and ended up behind the window screen that was sitting against the side of the house.  After some encouragement, and help, the baby made its way to the porch railing and then into the tree to join the parents.

Babies 1,2, and 5 fledged flawlessly.

May have mis-read the swallows behavior as antics - they migrate here to raise their young, and they are not nest builders (they use existing nest cavities).  The loss of the old apple trees impacts them greatly this year, and puts their group under incredible stress, since nesting sites are severely limited now.

Face off in the air - tension in the group plays out in confrontations, as habitat loss threatens their nesting season.

(The old apple trees were at the end of their lives, and most were removed last year in preparation for new plantings of organic lemon trees.  The new trees won't provide much swallow nesting either for many years, until they mature.)

Thinking it over, I got some nest boxes and put up six, mostly on the utility poles.  Not sure if it is too late already or not, but it's worth a try. 

Both of us were surprised when I could walk right up to this guy in the lower orchard.

This one in the front yard tree that has some bare limbs.

Swallows still zooming in the lower orchard, where the apple trees were removed last fall.  They don't seem to mind as far as swooping and flying goes...

Beautiful little Anna's hummer in back orchard.

Goldfinch eating hawthorn flowers, front yard of main house

On the way home, another Western bluebird in the apple trees.

Scrub jay on backyard fence pole with nest building material

Goldfinch, near backyard nyjer sock feeders

A pileated woodpecker, the largest of the woodpeckers in this area - only briefly seen a few times before - finally I had my camera with me!

Unfortunately, was shooting against bright morning light.

Acorn woodpecker on old pine tree stump, furlong rd.

chestnut backed chickadee lands on buddha's head