Tree Swallows on the River
Before Illinois was hit with the spring monsoon that put every waterway into the highest flood stages seen in a very long time, Tabula Rasa and I found ourselves sitting on the banks of the Fox River, mesmerized by the flock of tree swallows dancing over the surface.
It wasn’t a great day for attempting to take photos of very small, fast moving, twitchy birds. The heavy rain clouds over head only dropped a little drizzle on us, but it sure did take away the light.
These birds are fast, and it took me a few minutes to get used to their pattern of flight. In the end I think I walked away with a couple of decent shots, considering I only had my wide angle zoom lens with me. I had not anticipated attempting a bird photo shoot on this trip.
I think the geese got a little jealous of all the attention the swallows were getting, and had to show them up by proving they could walk on water. 
Bird fan here. Those swallows are adorable.
I had a family of swallows nesting right above the doorway of a house of mine many years ago. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world to hear the sound of newly hatched swallows chirping every day. :-)
April 27, 2013 at 7:22 pm
I could have watched them for hours if it wasn’t so cold.
I remember being attacked by tree swallows at my grandparent’s house because they were nesting on the kitchen porch. It only took once and I learned to use the back door after that.
May 4, 2013 at 1:38 am