First Chimney Swift egg laid on 5/28/2023

First Chimney Swift egg laid on 5/28/2023. The moment of egg laying is not clear from our footage, but it happened some time between 5:37am and 6:22am. At 5:37am, one of the swifts moved from its roosting spot below the nest and perched on the nest itself. Soon thereafter, another swift came and sat next to it, and the two touched bills. Bill touching is a courtship ritual and would be consistent with an intimate moment being shared by this pair. The two birds switched places a few times over the next few minutes, each sitting on the nest with face toward the wall. Assuming the egg was already laid at that point, it seems they were "practicing" the incubation behavior that both male and female will show in a few days, after the last egg has been laid. We expect 4-5 eggs to be laid--one per day--before the clutch is complete and incubation begins.
Published by the Ornithology Program at Saint Vincent College.