Can you identify this bird for me?

I'm not a birder ~ and I'm sure this is some very common species ~ but I don't know what it is. Could someone identify him for me? His "house" was right in the middle of pond full of lilypads (which is what I was really shooting). TIA

Looks like a tree swallow to me.

Great ~ I just looked up "tree swallow" and I believe you are correct! Thank you very much, Exerda!

I think it is a tree swallow as well - nice shot!
Elfie

By the way, where was this one shot? Looks familiar to me from the various parks in Northern VA I go to bird, though I guess just about anywhere will put up boxes like that.

Exerda -- this was at the Eleanor C. Lawrence park (just across from Cabel's Mill) off of Walney Road.

By the way, where are some good birding areas? I'm always looking for new spots!

ShootMeToo wrote in post #3248108
Exerda -- this was at the Eleanor C. Lawrence park (just across from Cabel's Mill) off of Walney Road.

By the way, where are some good birding areas? I'm always looking for new spots!

My favorite spots in the area are:

Huntley Meadows Park just south of Alexandria (with mixed woodlands and wetlands, and both a long boardwalk through the wetlands and several "unofficial" trails that go deeper into the park). It's just off of US-1 a few miles north of Ft. Belvoir.

Monticello Park, the DC-area warbler hotspot, which isn't awesome for photography in many cases but does draw many, many species during migration. It's off of East Glebe Road (Russell Rd.->Beverly St.) in Alexandria.

There are many other local parks that make for good birding and photography, but those two are the ones I visit most regularly. The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia is a good place to stop for a short list of some of the better parks. (Eagles and Osprey, for example, are seen all the time at Occoquan Bay NWR; the Red-headed Woodpecker at Sky Meadows, etc.)

exerda wrote in post #3248155
My favorite spots in the area are:

Huntley Meadows Park just south of Alexandria (with mixed woodlands and wetlands, and both a long boardwalk through the wetlands and several "unofficial" trails that go deeper into the park). It's just off of US-1 a few miles north of Ft. Belvoir.

Monticello Park, the DC-area warbler hotspot, which isn't awesome for photography in many cases but does draw many, many species during migration. It's off of East Glebe Road (Russell Rd.->Beverly St.) in Alexandria.

There are many other local parks that make for good birding and photography, but those two are the ones I visit most regularly. The Audubon Society of Northern Virginia is a good place to stop for a short list of some of the better parks. (Eagles and Osprey, for example, are seen all the time at Occoquan Bay NWR; the Red-headed Woodpecker at Sky Meadows, etc.)

Thanks for the tips. As I said, I'm really not a birder, but I do enjoy checking out new parks and looking for photo opportunities. I just recently read something about Huntley Meadows and it was on my list to visit. Right now I'm off to check out the Audubon Society of NoVA.