Swallows and Amazon

Chose the title as I recently ordered a new camera strap from Amazon having inadvertently sent the other off into long term storage by accident !    I can now get out on walks with my heavy camera/lens combo, mainly local walks at the moment since we moved into our rental just over 2 weeks ago.      We also have a lot of Swallows (and House Martins) where we are currently living so took a few photos of the Swallows this time and it was good to see a lot of juveniles around.

In no particular order ………..        there were around ten of them perched along the main driveway by our rental house

most were having a good preen in the sunshine

and keeping one eye on the camera !

and under much cloudier conditions this afternoon .............this family was just above our courtyard area chattering away constantly !

difficult angle with them being almost straight above me !

just before taking off this swallow was doing a lot of wing stretching and gull-winging !    and watching the camera too   lol

showing part of that lovely tail pattern 

I'll miss these birds and the house martins when they leave for Africa.

  • Gosh, when I read the title I thought you were just back from the Pantanal. LOL
    You are getting some new birds to see in your new temporary home. Whatever did Swallows do before there were electricity/telephone cables. I love their constant chattering - don't see them around where I live unfortunately.
  • Thanks Tony and Wendy,

    Unknown said:
    when I read the title I thought you were just back from the Pantanal.

    I just had to Google where Pantanal was   LOL      but now we are free as the birds with no big house/garden commitment - you never know where we'll end up   !! 

  • Lovely shots. I don't suppose it will long now before they depart. At least, we get the waders and wildfowl in return, to keep us occupied.
    I don't know about the Pantanal - I was thinking more Cumbria where the book was based!
  • Lovely shots Hazy, like the way they are watching you as much as you are them.
    The Pantanal is one of the places I would like to visit after reading one of John Grisham's books, huge snakes and is it capibarra they have out there.
  • Thanks Nige and Gaynor,

    Unknown said:
    I was thinking more Cumbria where the book was based!

    that was my first thought too Nige !

    @ Gaynor,  not sure about the large snakes, I got enough of those when living in Brunei and Australia but wouldn't mind seeing a capybara or some more tropical birds.   Let me know when you want to go explore the world and I'll pack my rucksack and sarnies   lol    To be honest, I'm hoping to get back to Aussie for a visit maybe in the next year or two but planning that is a long way off at the moment.   

  • LOL Hazy:-) I'm on hold at the moment too with Sue still enjoying life, but after having my Aussie friends staying last weekend I understand it is my turn to visit now!! Maybe we will find ourselves sharing a plane:-)
  • Superb photos of the swallows Hazel.

    I missed out this year due to the weather and various commitments, a local National Trust, Baddesley Clinton, have regular visitors, and nesting close to the public passage, unperturbed.

  • Thanks Mike, hope you get to catch up with Swallows at Baddesley Clinton at some stage, if not this year then next. Weather has been so dismal today with constant drizzle; I'm waiting for the blue sky to return …… whenever that will be I don't know lol
  • Unknown said:
    Thanks Mike, hope you get to catch up with Swallows at Baddesley Clinton at some stage, if not this year then next. Weather has been so dismal today with constant drizzle; I'm waiting for the blue sky to return …… whenever that will be I don't know lol

    You're welcome.

    The swallows at Baddesley will have flown by now, but there'll be next year.