{"id":100381,"date":"2022-03-05T06:47:04","date_gmt":"2022-03-05T13:47:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=100381"},"modified":"2025-05-09T14:55:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T19:55:32","slug":"swallow-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/05\/swallow-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"Swallow Photos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring Has Arrived When The Swallows Return To Northern Utah<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Violet-greenViolet-green Swallow adult back view<\/span><\/p>\n

Gray cloudy days have kept me out of the field lately, but I have been having visions of spring’s arrival and with it migrating birds. Some people think that American Robins are signs of spring’s arrival. For others they think of Red-winged Blackbirds, bluebirds or even Turkey Vultures. Swallows are definitely a birdy sign of spring for me because these insect eating birds usually don’t show up until spring has arrived.<\/p>\n

Today I wanted to share swallow photos that show the six species of swallows I see and photograph in northern Utah while they are here for their nesting season.<\/p>\n

Last spring I was able to photograph nesting Violet-green Swallows in a range of sky island mountains that are west of where I live in Salt Lake City. I hope that this nesting season I will be able to spend more time observing and photographing these colorful swallows.<\/p>\n

Violet-green Swallows are mainly found in western North America.<\/p>\n

\"TreeTree Swallow warming up on a road<\/span><\/p>\n

Tree Swallows can be found throughout most of North America at some point during the year. I find them most often in the mountains, marshes, wetlands, and some sky island mountains ranges in northern Utah. The bright iridescent blue feathers of the males are quite eye-catching.<\/p>\n

\"NorthernNorthern Rough-winged Swallow in the Wasatch Mountains<\/span><\/p>\n

During the breeding season Northern Rough-winged swallows can be found from southeastern Alaska, Canada, Mexico and throughout the lower 48 states. I find them in the mountains and along creek and riverbanks in northern Utah.<\/p>\n

\"AdultAdult Cliff Swallow warming up in the morning light<\/span><\/p>\n

Cliff Swallows have a huge range during their breeding season. They breed in Alaska, Canada, Mexico and most of the lower 48 states excluding Florida. I photograph this species in the marshes, wetlands, valleys, mountains, and mountain canyons in Utah.<\/p>\n

\"ImmatureImmature Bank Swallow in marsh habitat<\/span><\/p>\n

I don’t have as many opportunities to photograph Banks Swallows as I would like. I know where they nest in one area of the Wasatch Mountains but that spot is on private property that I can only see from a long distance. I keep hoping that I can locate a colony of nesting Bank Swallows that I can photograph.<\/p>\n

During their nesting season Banks Swallows can be found from Alaska across northern Canada then south to California, Texas and North Carolina.<\/p>\n

\"SpringSpring Barn Swallow adult in wetlands<\/span><\/p>\n

Barn Swallows can be found throughout much of North America during their breeding season. I photograph them most often in the marshes and wetlands that surround the Great Salt Lake, in the mountains and on Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Who knows, with climate change I may one day photograph Cave Swallows in northern Utah.<\/p>\n

As I sit here hoping for rain today and snow in the next few days I can’t help but think of spring and the swallows that are already on the wing heading towards me in Utah. I can barley wait to spot my first of the year swallows.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my swallow photos plus facts and information about each species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Today I wanted to share swallow photos that show the six species of swallows I see and photograph in northern Utah while they are here for their nesting season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":100377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5983,2108,124,27,1148,489,4594,542,358,2171,26,11808,773,1314],"tags":[4004,5180,5985,2111,4897,6577,3940,2420,3843,4098,7046,5370,4545,4067,4062,4094,4099,4069,2181,4104,641,4059,6428,5984,9626,2326,4018,10452,165,760,2315,4807,3470,4377,11811,1523,11812,4985,4176,4095,4193],"class_list":["post-100381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bank-swallows","category-barn-swallows","category-bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-cliff-swallows","category-morgan-county","category-northern-rough-winged-swallows","category-tooele-county","category-tree-swallows","category-utah","category-violet-green-swallows","category-wasatch-mountains","category-west-desert-utah","tag-adult","tag-back-view","tag-bank-swallow","tag-barn-swallow","tag-branch","tag-branches","tag-canyon","tag-cliff-swallow","tag-creek","tag-desert","tag-dirt-road","tag-forest","tag-hirundo-rustica","tag-immature","tag-male","tag-marsh","tag-morning-light","tag-mountains","tag-northern-rough-winged-swallow","tag-perched","tag-petrochelidon-pyrrhonota","tag-phragmites","tag-phrags","tag-riparia-riparia","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-road","tag-sky","tag-sky-island-mountains","tag-spring","tag-stelgidopteryx-serripennis","tag-summer-3","tag-swallow","tag-swallows","tag-tachycineta-bicolor","tag-tachycineta-thalassina","tag-tree-swallow","tag-violet-green-swallow","tag-warming-up","tag-wasatch-mountains","tag-wetlands","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/violet-green-swallow-male-back-view-mia-mcpherson-1622.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-q73","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":125851,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/03\/25\/tree-swallows-have-migrated-into-northern-utah\/","url_meta":{"origin":100381,"position":0},"title":"Tree Swallows Have Migrated Into Northern Utah","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 25, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the weekend, I read on Facebook that Tree Swallows have migrated back into Northern Utah for their breeding season. 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