Wednesday, August 1, 2007

chasing Swallows


Well, the chicks are grown and flying around. It's amazing how fast they grow once they get to a size they can fly. One day they're all in the nest, sleeping and waiting for food and just a few days later they're flying around, but still waiting for food. And then a few days later, they're flying and eating on their own. It was fun to watch them.

So, now there is a vacancy sign on the nest, reading, "New one room nest to own or lease. Partially furnished. Built 2007. One previous owner. Deck for room or growth. Protected from predators. See Barn Swallow Realty."

And chasing them with a camera. That's the hard part. If you get too close the parents and older siblings start dive bombing you. If you can get closer, the chicks simply fly away. The closest I got was about 15-20 feet with a 180mm macro/telephoto lens. And you have to keep you eyes open as the parents feed very quickly to shoot a sequence of a dozen shots, like below.



I hope they return next year. Maybe they'll be more used to us as neighbors. It's not hard for me to check, the nest is in a corner of my carport.

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