Palouse River Valley, WA
Survival. It is the primary motivating force behind most of the behaviors that occur among wild animal species. No doubt the two cliff swallows that produced this egg were driven by the mysterious and irresistible drive to pass on their genes to another generation. These small, insectivorous birds spend the winter months in South America and usually arrive in this part of the United States in April. Cliff swallows gather mud, one mouthful at a time, and use it to build their nests in large colonies on vertical cliff faces. The nests take between five and 14 days to construct and resemble a cup or the top of a bottle, with a narrow, protruding neck for an entryway. The sole purpose of the nest is to provide a relatively safe place to lay eggs, usually 3-6 in a clutch, and rear the young that will emerge after about two weeks of incubation by the parents. Sadly, all that effort is sometimes wasted. This egg never hatched, nor did the other two found intact in a nest right above the river. We can only speculate at the cause. Did one of the parents fall prey to an American kestrel who was also driven by the drive to survive? Was this a second brood, laid too late in the season for the parents to complete the job of incubating the eggs before other instincts pressured them southward?
Regardless of the cause, this finding reminds us of the fragility of life – the thin line between success and failure. The Corps of Discovery walked this fine line many times during their perilous expedition, narrowly escaping a long series of dangerous situations, and by luck or providence, had events go their way time and again. What would have become of the expedition if they had never found the Shoshone people who provided them with horses for the treacherous crossing of the Lolo Pass? Might they have survived if Sacajewea had not been with them to interpret, find food and imply by her presence that this party of men was not intent on war? What if Capt. Lewis had not prepared so well and anticipated the expedition’s needs so accurately? Whether by chance or hard work, the Corps did survive and succeed in their mission. Fortunately, so did most of the swallows that made their winter home along the Palouse.
Survival. It is the primary motivating force behind most of the behaviors that occur among wild animal species. No doubt the two cliff swallows that produced this egg were driven by the mysterious and irresistible drive to pass on their genes to another generation. These small, insectivorous birds spend the winter months in South America and usually arrive in this part of the United States in April. Cliff swallows gather mud, one mouthful at a time, and use it to build their nests in large colonies on vertical cliff faces. The nests take between five and 14 days to construct and resemble a cup or the top of a bottle, with a narrow, protruding neck for an entryway. The sole purpose of the nest is to provide a relatively safe place to lay eggs, usually 3-6 in a clutch, and rear the young that will emerge after about two weeks of incubation by the parents. Sadly, all that effort is sometimes wasted. This egg never hatched, nor did the other two found intact in a nest right above the river. We can only speculate at the cause. Did one of the parents fall prey to an American kestrel who was also driven by the drive to survive? Was this a second brood, laid too late in the season for the parents to complete the job of incubating the eggs before other instincts pressured them southward?
Regardless of the cause, this finding reminds us of the fragility of life – the thin line between success and failure. The Corps of Discovery walked this fine line many times during their perilous expedition, narrowly escaping a long series of dangerous situations, and by luck or providence, had events go their way time and again. What would have become of the expedition if they had never found the Shoshone people who provided them with horses for the treacherous crossing of the Lolo Pass? Might they have survived if Sacajewea had not been with them to interpret, find food and imply by her presence that this party of men was not intent on war? What if Capt. Lewis had not prepared so well and anticipated the expedition’s needs so accurately? Whether by chance or hard work, the Corps did survive and succeed in their mission. Fortunately, so did most of the swallows that made their winter home along the Palouse.
