More photos from this trip to follow. I hope everyone has a great week!
Anni, thank you for hosting:
Monday, June 1, 2015
Muddy Waters
It's not very often I have a chance to photograph the Barn Swallow. They usually hang around marinas and piers, swooping over the waters at breakneck speeds, making it impossible to capture them with my camera. On May 14th, however, several stopped by a muddy area at Lake Martin, giving me ample opportunity for some shots. I assumed they were digging for insects.
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52 comments:
Interesting looking critters. They have heron eyes...spooked.
I've never seen barn swallows "play" in the mud like that!
Hello Gail, awesome shots of the cute Barn Swallows. Maybe they were gathering mud for their nest. Enjoy your Monday and have a happy week ahead!
Evolution has certainly given him a beak suitable for digging.
so very cute. i can imagine them getting a mouthful of mud and trying to 'cack' it back up. :)
Nice catch, Gail. Glad you did not have to get muddy for the picture. Zoom has serious perks. Enjoy your Monday.
Gail, the pictures are fantastic. So, as an Austrian girl I even didn't know this bird. What a pretty little creature. Thank you for sharing and all my best
Elisabeth
Just playin' in the mud! Nice shots!
Beautiful pictures of the Swallows, Gail.
They take something of clay to build their nest.
Perfectly done!!
Best regards, Irma
Een hele mooie serie heb je ervan kunnen maken Gail,prachtig.
These are wonderful pictures of the bird, but what a dreadful way to find food!
How beautiful Gail. I have never seen them that close, they are a lovely bird.
What charming shots.
Too cute! I didn't know they held their wings out like that. I think Pixar could use those photos as a model for one of their movies!
The Barn Swallow is adorable, I especially like birds with blue and orange or salmon colors together. He is so cute with the wide stance of his legs is so funny. I would never have imagined they would stick their beaks in the mud like a duck!
Great shots down low. How did you manage to capture these without getting all dirty in the mud?
Great captures, Gail! I love his skinny little legs, LOL :) Barn Swallows build their nests out of mud, and will wait for the right conditions to build, sometimes building very late in the season if its dry, so that may have been what they were doing. They haven't had to wait to build HERE of course, as we got 12-18 inches of rain last month. Looking forward to a dry June! Have a blessed week, my friend!
Incredible captures, I really like these critters too, and there are quite a few that have made their home right here on our property. I just adore your last photo, best of all! So cute.
Definitely digging for something, and enjoying it! Great photos in perfect focus.
Hi Gail...... looks like the digging paid off! Is that a minnow of some sort? enjoyed seeing the whole picture from start to finish!!
Awesome photos...always!
This is fabulous as you captured them gathering mud for nests....I have watched robins do that here.
Beautifully captured Gail. A difficult one to photograph, let alone so well!
I am wondering if perhaps they were gathering mud to make their nests.Whatever the case,you got good shots of the action.
hi MY FRIEND!
Gail, I have always been mystified by how clean animals are. They never have to wear clothes or worry about their outward appearance. Even tho this guy / gal is in the mud -- it is a clean birdie. Don't we wish we could have half of that ability in our human lives? lol
Thanks for the fun compliment. I wear heels now days if I am very well rested. Chemo still effects my feet. I have neuropathy now after chemo {and my dr just shrugs it off - like no big deal}, but I have to NOT wear my heels much and so many times after wearing my heels I am in horrid pain.
But I think my pics look better in them. I love these $5 FRANCO SARTO heels. $5 !!!!!! wow!!!!
♥renae
I love their coloring. They sure are busy!
Awesome photos of these cute birds!
Truly special images, congratulations on finally finding an opportunity to captures these beautiful birds!
My favorite is the first one, a bird with an attitude, love it.
Hi Gail, great close ups of the birds! They put on a whole show for you!
Barn swallow. Beautiful.
Oh dear, a muddy mess indeed! We have a sweet little Barn Swallow that made a nest right about our front door in the eave.
Thanks for sharing your lovely and fun pictures. Have a great week!
must be a boy...making a muddy mess!!!!!
Terrific images, Gail! You're right about trying to catch one in flight - a true challenge!
And great shots of him gathering mud to build his nest also.
Excellent images of a lovely bird.
What an interesting encounter! I've never seen them do this before. You got some great photos!
Absolutely amazing Gail!!!
You captured their personalities and survival skills with pizzazz!!!
Lovin' each photo.
I don't know how they can stay so clean, working with mud all day!
I'm back to send along my thanks for sharing your link this week at I'd Rather B Birdin'.
Have never seen such adorable pictures of swallows .... On the ground even. So impressed. I felt lucky to get some on a roof edge once .... As you say they hard,y ever seem to land.
I have run out of adjectives...I will just have to go with WOW!
Wow, you succeeded fantastic to capture these birds. They are indeed very quick. Wonderful pictures, Gail. Greetings, Joke
hi again Gail!
just wanted to alert you to some new posts today and tomorrow. drop by if you can. ♥renae
Nice shots- I imagine they were getting the siding for their mud nests!!
Ohhhh ..... beautiful photos of this swallow.
Sharp and beautiful color, bright and amazing details.
This is enjoy :-)
Poor Swallows probably aren't use to all this mud!!!
He's defiantly getting his minerals and grit with his dinner!!!
What a cute little bird! I wish you could sit with us on the back porch and help us identify the birds who visits. One in particular sings and sings each night about six. And, you're right. I'm enjoying my new Mac. It's also a lot lighter! Hope you're having a great weekend.
Splendid!
Working hard for food.
Great series of captures.
Great captures of the swallows, Gail, lucky you! I've tried a few times to photograph them, but like you said, they're so speedy. There are at least a couple dozen of them that are nesting under the eaves of an old abandoned farm house and I see them each morning on my way home from work. But, they're still out of range for my camera lens. I've considered trespassing only to take a few quick shots ;)
Great shots of the swallow! I like how you captured the action with him hard at work!
These are so fantastic shots !!!!!
These are so fantastic shots !!!!!
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