Chasing Swallows

This is a post about life and photography. And after ya'll ask, "Huh?", I'll explain. This spring after the new carport had been finished and I now have the luxury of covered parking, a pair of young barn swallows decided to take up residence in one corner of my spot, above. We have lots of tree swallows in our area, some nesting under eaves of the building (in openings for the ventilation), but barn swallows are usually found in the more rural areas.

Anyway, it was odd they built a nest there with all the people walking around and cars going in and out of their parking spots, but they did. And so I decided to photograph them. Ok, not totally thinking. Have you ever tried to chase swallows and then photograph them? They don't exactly sit still and they don't stay home if they see someone around the nest. I don't know yet if they have any eggs, but there aren't any bobbing heads and chirping noises yet.

But being retired afforded me the time this morning to just sit beside a tree and watch them, and hope I won't startle them if they come back to the nest. No, such luck for awhile as every time they landed they spotted me and flew away for a few minutes. And so I knelt, and knelt. But then luck would prevail for an instant.


And the other one in the partnership?



I wish them well and I hope to get more photographs. And spending the time just watching them and waiting for them to land reminded me why I like retirement. It beats the hell out of working from someone else. While I won't say anything about their decor, but for their first attempt built from scratch, it works, protected from the wind and rain with late afternoon sun, so they did ok. And the rent is free. I'll gladly share my parking space with them.