Taking a break

[tupe]

These little guys are rarely still - I usually see them flitting about the water on their long, curved wings.
This day it was cool and rainy, and for once they perched.
I guess they are some kind of swift or swallow:

http://typelogic.com/photos/swifts%20sm.jpg

[tupe]

So does anybody know what kind of bird these guys are? I spent an hour looking through swifts, martins and sweeps and didn't find them.

[tupe]

Continuing my monologue, I have found them. These appear to be bank swallows, aka sand martins, Riparia riparia. There are some good pics of them here:

http://www.birds.se/basva.htm

[herderdog]

Hi Tupe,
Seems that the swallows have arrived--I have some tree swallows around here that were looking at a bird house I have in a tree--but they passed it up.
They are really fast--I was hoping to get some shots-but not yet.
All seem to be in pairs like you have captured.

[tupe]

Hi Tupe,
Seems that the swallows have arrived--I have some tree swallows around here that were looking at a bird house I have in a tree--but they passed it up.
They are really fast--I was hoping to get some shots-but not yet.
All seem to be in pairs like you have captured.There's another pair that have been policing the parking lot at work. I'm lousy at in-flight captures, and most of my pics on the wire have been out of focus.

I like these little birds. They remind me of the two young ladies at the dry cleaners - quick on their feet (er, wings?), upbeat, full of energy.