Las Vegas, Nevada: May '08
A group of Swallows were hanging around Corn Creek (Desert National Wildlife Refuge) the day a friend and I visited. They were VERY playful, following me around and zooming by high & low either by my head or next to my knees. People may think I'm nuts, but this is not the first time I've had a chance to play with Swallows. I really do believe they're just curious and playful by nature.
When we stopped at the top of the pathway near a little grassy area, we stood still for several minutes while my friend was trying to ID a bird she heard in the bushes. She phoned someone to help her, so while she was talking I stood nearby. And the Swallows were there too. So I talked to them and held my hand up above my head, which they zoomed by a dozen times. At one point they almost bopped my friend in the back of the head while she was on the cell phone.
A few minutes later (I guess when the birds figured out we're weren't going anywhere) a couple of the Swallows landed on the ground near me. One was on a log and the others on the dirt path. This was pretty exciting because I'd never been this close to get pictures before!
I figured, what the heck?! Obviously they weren't afraid of me... so I got down on my stomach in the dirt in front of them and started taking pics. The birds were very tolerant. Thankfully.
There were 6-7 keepers (this is one of them) from the batch. It was a pretty exciting day and a LOT harder getting back up, than it was getting down.
True story.
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Canon Stuff, of course! (40D, 300mm, in the dirt)
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Dream on
