Swallows at Ridgefield

Barn Swallow

Not Singing

Both of these pictures were taken in the spring when many birds around Ridgefield were singing, one on a overcast day and one on a sunny day. Even though these male swallows may appear to be singing, they were only opening their mouths for a brief period after resting on the cattails. Males tend to have darker chests than the females but otherwise are similar in appearance.

A male barn swallow perches on a cattail with its mouth open at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Working On A Building

This male and his mate were building a nest under a footbridge at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. When they returned with fresh mud and plants, they’d sometimes perch on the cattails if the other swallow was already in the nest, giving me a chance for a close-up view.

A close-up of a male barn swallow with mud on his beak at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Puffball

In the air, swallows have a sleek, aerodynamic shape designed for close maneuvering so they can catch insects in flight. You’d never know it from looking at these little puffballs, with their feathers puffed out they give a false impression of being rather plump. Many birds will do this when they are cold to create pockets of warm air, much like a hiker dressing in layers.

A barn swallow sits atop a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

A barn swallow sits atop a cattail with a stick in his mouth at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

A barn swallow sits atop a cattail in the rain at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Outside in the Rain

A barn swallow takes a break from hunting insects over South Quigley Lake along Ridgefield’s auto tour and puffs itself out in the rain.

A male barn swallow spreads its wings while perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Wings Over Ridgefield

A male barn swallow stretches out its wings while perched on a cattail. All swallows have long, swept wings, but here you can see a feature unique to barn swallows: the long thin tail feathers that stick out even past the long wings.

A male barn swallow preens one of its wing feathers while perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Preening

A barn swallow preens one of his long wing feathers by dragging it through his bill. The action was so fast that I didn’t realize he had a single feather pulled out until I got home and saw the picture. While he cleaned his wings, there was one part that didn’t get cleaned (and you can see it in the picture): there’s a bit of dried mud on the beak itself.

A female barn swallow perches on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Hello Miss

While this female had paired with the male above, she nevertheless rebuffed his two attempts at mating (or at least having a bit of fun). Females tend to have lighter coloring in the chest than the males, which was pretty obvious in these two birds.

I took this picture with my 500mm telephoto lens while standing on a little wooden footbridge on the Kiwa Trail at Ridgefield. Before I bought the lens a couple of years ago, I debated long and hard on whether it was a worthwhile purchase. When I get my first time machine, I’m going to pay a visit to that past self and slap him around a little bit for waiting so long to buy the lens, it’s become a real favorite of mine.

Tree Swallow

Momentary Pause

With the return of spring to the refuge, the swallows fill the skies above the marshes with their acrobatics. A few small groves of trees provide nesting locations for tree swallows like this one, which had paused on a branch near a potential nesting site. It only stayed still for a brief moment before taking to the skies once more.

	Wings Over Ridgefield A male barn swallow stretches out its wings while perched on a cattail. All swallows have long, swept wings, but here you can see a feature unique to barn swallows: the long thin tail feathers that stick out even past the long wings.
	Preening A barn swallow preens one of his long wing feathers by dragging it through his bill. The action was so fast that I didn’t realize he had a single feather pulled out until I got home and saw the picture. While he cleaned his wings, there was one part that didn’t get cleaned (and you can see it in the picture): there’s a bit of dried mud on the beak itself.