Swallows

Male Tree Swallow in morning light

By Mia McPherson, on June 12th, 2013%

Male Tree Swallow – Nikon D300, f5.6, 1/1600, ISO 500, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

This male Tree Swallow was perched on a fence post in western Montana last week when I photographed him while the morning light lit him up beautifully. The blue in the background isn’t sky or water it is simply a portion of the distant mountains that were still shaded by the peaks high overhead. The swallows in many of the areas that I traveled to were very busy with nesting activity, I saw quite a few scuffling with bluebirds for nest boxes and bringing in nesting material.

Mia

Nesting time for Barn Swallows

By Mia McPherson, on May 9th, 2013%

Barn Swallow resting on a boulder

Barn Swallows have migrated back to Utah and have already begun to build their nests to rear their broods from this season. These are awesome bug catchers and I’m grateful for every mosquito they devour because then there are less of them to bite me.

Barn Swallow with a beak full of mud

Barn Swallows probably built adobe homes long before humans every did, they use mud as plaster to form their nests and the rain that fell the night before and yesterday morning created puddles that the Barn Swallows were using to get the mud they need for their nests. This Barn Swallow has a serious load of mud in its bill.

Barn Swallow lifting off with nesting material in its bill

The Barn swallows are only at the puddle briefly; basically just long enough to fill their bills, and then they lift off. I think these swallows may be nesting near the marina on Antelope Island State Park some where. Maybe they will eat some of those biting gnats!

Mia

Bird Sampler for April 28 through May 4, 2013

By Mia McPherson, on May 4th, 2013%

Burrowing Owl adult

I wanted to share a sampler of bird images that I have taken over the past week in Davis and Box Elder Counties.

I took this Burrowing Owl image two days ago. There is just something about these owls that delights me every time I see them.

Canada Goose

Canada Geese are common here in northern Utah but they aren’t common every where, just ask people in Florida. I like Canada Geese.

Killdeer on a rock

Some of the noisiest shorebirds I have ever come across are the Killdeer though this one was silent it did perched nicely on top of a rock at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area. I really like the smooth background.

Male Ring-necked Pheasant

I photographed this male Ring-necked Pheasant displaying near the road that goes to the auto tour route of Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, if there was another male in the area I could not see it but this pose indicates the type of territorial behavior I see when two male pheasants are getting ready to have it out.

Hundreds of (thousands) swallows at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge

The air is alive with midges and swallows at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge, I can’t tell how many of the 5 species that inhabit the refuge are in this frame but the huge numbers of swallows is very impressive.

Turkey Vulture in Box Elder County

The Turkey Vultures came back to Utah several weeks ago but I haven’t had many opportunities to photograph them this spring, two days ago we came across some that were warming in the early morning sunlight in Box Elder County. I’m not sure Turkey Vultures could be called beautiful but they are a fascinating species and they do clean up the environment.

Western Grebes in a courtship display

I saw these two Western Grebes displaying and hoped that they would rush, they did but they rushed with their backs to me. I’ll keep trying to get them rushing towards me.

Western Meadowlark stretching

Western Meadowlarks are every where, singing from the tops of their perches, flitting about in a hurry, preening and stretching like this one on Antelope Island.

I saw many more birds in the past week, all of them wonderful, all of them fascinating and every one a great subject to photograph.

Mia

Perched Northern Rough-winged Swallow

By Mia McPherson, on April 6th, 2013%

Northern Rough-winged Swallow – Nikon D200, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

Northern Rough-winged Swallows have a wide range in North America but because of their drab colors they are often overlooked by bird photographers, they are the ”plain brown bird” of the swallow family. Northern Rough-winged Swallows breed from Costa Rica to southern Canada and coast to coast in the U.S.

In 2011 I spotted this Northern Rough-winged Swallow perched on an old fence post at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area next to Glover’s Pond as it rested in between aerial foraging activity.

I love swallows because they eat billions of bugs, the biting kinds included and anything that eats mosquitoes is a hero in my book!

Mia

Male Tree Swallow in flight

By Mia McPherson, on March 24th, 2013%

Male Tree Swallow in flight – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

I have been seeing Tree Swallows this past week, another sure sign of Spring’s impending arrival. I’ve seen them skimming over fields looking for insects and enjoyed the brilliant flashes of the sapphire blues of the males.

This image was taken two years ago at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana and for some reason I had not processed it until now. The Tree Swallows were looking to take over an active Mountain Bluebird nest box and the Bluebirds were busy defending the nest box while still trying to find food for their chicks. It was actually very interesting to watch and photograph the skirmishes.

Mia