Tree Swallows
May 24, 2017 16:56:24 #
On reading about these birds I find they are supposed to common throughout the U.S. Somehow though, I've only seen them in one place and that is at the Viles Arboretum in Augusta Maine. I first saw them perhaps five years ago and this morning I decided to go over there and try to get some pictures of them.
Mostly they seem to fly around at high speed and so it is hard to even get a good look at them. Oddly, I've never seen a tree swallow perched in a tree, but the arboretum has provided a number of houses for them and that seemed the best place to hope to photograph one. I set up a tripod about 30 feet from one of the houses and waited for about an hour. I got quite a few shots but the first three below seemed the best of them (well, that one in flight was not one of the best shots but it was the only decent one I got of one on the wing).
I folded up my tripod and turned around to go back to my car and to my surprise, there was a tree swallow sitting on a short wooden post.
Slowly I set my tripod down and readied my camera and took a series of hand-held shots (with a 400 mm lens). The last show below is one of the best of these hand-held shots.
Mostly they seem to fly around at high speed and so it is hard to even get a good look at them. Oddly, I've never seen a tree swallow perched in a tree, but the arboretum has provided a number of houses for them and that seemed the best place to hope to photograph one. I set up a tripod about 30 feet from one of the houses and waited for about an hour. I got quite a few shots but the first three below seemed the best of them (well, that one in flight was not one of the best shots but it was the only decent one I got of one on the wing).
I folded up my tripod and turned around to go back to my car and to my surprise, there was a tree swallow sitting on a short wooden post.
Slowly I set my tripod down and readied my camera and took a series of hand-held shots (with a 400 mm lens). The last show below is one of the best of these hand-held shots.On the wing
Seemed to be wondering about me
Preparing a nest together
Hand-held
May 25, 2017 14:16:18 #
During my seventeen years here in Englewood the tree swallows came through one day in large numbers (hundreds if not thousands). I took photos and now I'll have to find them so I can post some of them. Your number four is probably better than anything I have in terms of the individual bird. Good job.
May 25, 2017 14:54:29 #
Thru the lens
Loc: South Central PA
We have them here in central Pa. They fight with the bluebirds over who gets the nest box. We finally put up a second one! Nice pics too!
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May 26, 2017 01:17:54 #
May 26, 2017 01:18:59 #
May 26, 2017 16:40:03 #
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