Early morning juvenile Cliff Swallow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
It is now the time of the year when young birds are being seen at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and among the young are juvenile Cliff Swallows. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I saw my first of year Cliff Swallows arriving at the refuge during spring migration and already their young have joined them on the wing over the marshes.
Some of the young Cliff Swallows have white speckles on their foreheads and chins which is one way to tell that they are young, another is their yellowish gapes which adult Cliff Swallows do not have.
Juvenile Cliff Swallow looking towards the sky – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
I photographed all three of these individual juvenile Cliff Swallows in the same area next to the auto tour route, there were quite a few of the juveniles perched on top of the phragmites but I only had clear views of these three.
I have to admit that I was thinking “Awww” in my mind as I photographed these young birds partly because I think they are cute little buggers and the other part was because I was happy to see that these swallows seemed to have had a successful breeding season.
Blue sky with a juvenile Cliff Swallow – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
The soft, early morning light was beautiful when I took these juvenile Cliff Swallow images and I am pleased with how the photos came out.
Life is good.
Mia
Click here to see more of my Cliff Swallow photos plus facts and information about this species.
Beautiful things.
And definitely an aww moment.
So lovely and peaceful. I spent a half hour watching them Friday at the refuge. The colors and light were outstanding, add sounds and smells and it was blissful. Your photo brings it all rushing back.
Definitely an “awwwwww” moment! They are adorable! I, too, am glad to see breeding success. 😃