Finally Some Decent Cliff Swallow Shots

Good use of flash on these!

Thanks Allen. It also helps to "fully" understand how to use fill flash.

Mitch this is a very nice series. I'd love to see these fellows sometime. I've only managed shots of Tree and Bank swallows to date.

Thanks Stephen. You might try keeping an eye out near bridges over waters in the swamps or to islands. Not too high. They gotta have the bugs around and they have to have access to mud for the nests.

Those are fantastic! Love the nests too, really amazing birds. I had these birds at my feet nesting under a bridge over the weekend, but no way to get shots. You must have been hanging upside down to get these shots!

Hey Bob, nope, didn't have to, there's a little road beside it. See if this takes you to the satellite map.

You just pull off in that little road and pull down to the end and there they are, about 2 feet above your head. It's a great fishing spot.

they look pretty social to me too... quite a story Mitch...a little society of seasonal travelers... excellent "story book" material...

Thanks John. I really need to get back there and take a few more pics. Might be interesting to document the constuction process.

The dietary needs also determine when birds breed. These are great photos. We have cliff swallows here too and they are just now starting to mob the intersections in the mornings. It's amazing how many DON'T get hit! Swallows are amazing at the aerial acrobatics.

Tote, sometimes I just stand there and watch them. They will come to within a couple feet of me if I just stand still. They seem to send some signal cause all of a sudden they will all leave the nests at once, swarm around then trickle back a few at a time, then a few minutes later, do it all over again. both sides of this bridge have nests, there must be hundreds of them.

Excellent series. Well done indeed.

Thanks sindri. I need to get back there for more.

Great series Mitch, the last ones my pick.

Thanks Phil. It's always fun to see these guys.

Super shots, nesting would certainly appear to be the best place to get these guys! I've given up trying to get swallows and house martins in flight!