DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE

great set mitch i ve not seen many yet here in the uk but but the swifts are back . im waiting for some blue sky to try some shots.

Hey Jason. We have several kinds of swallows all over here now. They are hard to shoot though and these are the hardest with those blue irridescent feathers. Very hard to shoot without blowing out the blues. Wish I had a polarizer to try.

What kind of bird is that? I shot some like this today, I think, but couldn't quite figure out what they were.

KAC

Hey Kenny, these are Tree Swallows and the perch is a dead tree about 15 feet tall, with the road on one side and a 30 acre field on the other. There are several other groups I know about on this island park but they are near water. They like dead trees with woodpecker holes in them to nest in. Kind of easy to find if you already know they are around. And they aren't too shy as you can see.

Thanks Mitch, the ones I was shooting seemed to be protecting a nest box (on a pole) -- were hanging out in the tree next to it at the RMA/National Wildlife preserve. I'll have to see id any of the pic are good enough to post. I've definitely gotten a new respect for bird photographers the last few weeks as I've been trying it (mostly without success).

KAC

Yeah, they will use nest boxes. But they only eat flying bugs and you'll find them almost anywhere there are bugs in the air. Over water or open fields, even in among the trees.

Nice series. Like the captions.

Thanks Sindri. It was a slow night last night.

Tough lighting. But the expressions on these birds and their antics always make for interesting subjects.

Thanks Canon. This is the fourth time I've tried shooting these birds. I think I need to try a cloudy day.