swallow

As they are about to leave I feel it is the right time to post a picture of these beautiful birds.

I didn't know there were any Barn Swallows around still being fed because this is the time of year they usually leave the area for their southward migration. But this morning, I noticed two of them seeming to "kiss" each other in the air. Silly me, I later realized that a juvenile...

Hard to take shots with this fast-flying profile.

Wanted to capture something of the essence of summer. So I borrowed the title from one of my favourite books. I also wanted to convey the idea of a world where man and nature are not always at enmity with one another.

Was perching next to female. I always specify "North American" because our erythrogaster subspecies lacks the solid breast band displayed by subspecies on other continents. There is still a chance they might use the porch nest now that the Cliff Swallows are finished using it. This...

Swallow feeding in the early evening over Farlington Marshes, Hampshire, UK.

This male Barn Swallow often perches on the wire near my driveway, as he is here. Haven't yet figured out why, but he seems very interested in the drain pipe on the side of the building near my porch.

I know the last two photos I've posted have been of Tree Swallows, so please forgive me! I've got Tree Swallow mania because, all of a sudden, the adults are not flying away when I get close to them. They are busy protecting their babies on the utility wire. I took this one two days after I...

Two of the five juvenile Tree Swallows that were on the utility wire near my driveway this morning.

A pair of Tree Swallows arrived in early April and made themselves visible for a few weeks although at somewhat of a distance. However, they disappeared in May, most likely to go into the woods and nest. This morning, all of a sudden, there were at least five Tree Swallows on the wire near my...

On a recent visit to Kinnordy I saw some Swallows sitting on a wire. Thanks to Shirley, who started a thread about camera settings for this scenario, I managed a shot or two... not brilliant, but my best efforts so far. I couldn't get too close, as the wire was in the field. This guy looks like...

Last summer was the first time I started seeing this species around here, and they seem to be more numerous this summer. This morning was the first time I was able to photograph any of them on the utility wire. Most other shots have been while they were in the nest on my porch, with only their...

Barn Swallows, North American subspecies, male on upper left, female on lower right. It might be my imagination, but it looks like she is worshipping him!

This is the male Barn Swallow guarding the porch nest from the nearby wire around 5:15 p.m. this afternoon. I haven't seen the female in about a week, but I think she has been inside the nest incubating eggs. This pair is very cautious and timid. The porch entrance is our only entrance/exit...

From this morning. This is the pair who is apparently planning to raise a family in the nest on the front building because they have started guarding it like crazy. That nest, built and used by Barn Swallows last year, is in a more secluded location than is the nest on my porch. I posted a...

... or in this case, Outhouse Swallow! We'd just arrived home when I heard a racket in our neighbour's yard. This swallow was flying around in a very agitated state. It settled on the outhouse roof but was still clearly unhappy and was so pre-occupied I managed to get some fairly close shots...

This is the pair of Barn Swallows that has been hanging around my porch where there is an old swallow nest. At this point I do not know whether they will use the nest or not. Although the nest was originally built by Barn Swallows, it was modified last summer by Cliff Swallows, who covered it...

After many attempts, they finally let me get this shot!