Swallows at Ridgefield

Barn Swallow

Swallowing

I've been making an effort for head shots in my wildlife photography the past year or two, so when the barn swallow came to an even closer perch, I took some full-body portraits then threw on the tele-converter and a bunch of extension tubes for some tight close-ups. It didn't stay still for long, and the rain had eased off, so I didn't get a chance to photograph it with a heavy buildup of raindrops on its feathers. But I was thankful for my only opportunity this spring for such a close view of a remarkable little bird.

A barn swallow rests on a snag at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

A Day for Boolies

While I do photograph on sunny days, at least early and late when the light is nice, make no mistake that rainy days at Ridgefield are my favorite. On this day in mid-May, despite many birds migrating through, I arrived early and didn't see another car for the first two hours, and the rest of the day traffic was much lower than normal. When the showers got heavy this barn swallow paused from hunting for insects above Long Lake, perching on one of the many snags in the lake, and let me show off Ridgefield in the rain.

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

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

Mud Home

A barn swallow sits on its nest made of mud in an observation blind in the River S Unit. The old blind used to be a great place to watch for barn swallows in the spring, dozens of mud nests were built in and around the blind and if you stood quietly in the dark, the swallows would come buzzing past at high speed with insects to feed the young. Outside, you could watch the swallows in calmer circumstances a few feet away, perched in an adjacent tree. However, when the blind was replaced with a new design, the changes didn't appeal to the swallows and they rarely nest there now.

A barn swallow sits on its nest made of mud at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

A barn swallow perches in a tree 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.

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 of his body that didn’t get cleaned (and you can see it in the pictures): there’s a bit of dried mud on the beak itself.

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

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 these pictures 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, it’s become a real favorite of mine.

A barn swallow stretches out its wings while perched on a cattail at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Glamorous Glennis

This front view of the torso of a barn swallow reminds me of the Bell X-1, the experimental aircraft piloted by Chuck Yeager when he first broke the sound barrier. Yeager nicknamed the plane "Glamorous Glennis" after his wife. The X-1 was designed to go fast and little else, while the swallow's wings and tail evolved to let it be both fast and maneuverable as it hunts for insects on the wing.

Tree Swallow

Feather Bed

I spent many hours in May at Ridgefield watching tree swallows nesting in seemingly every available tree cavity. In the first few weeks, I tried in vain to get shots of them collecting dried grasses to line their nests. Never did get that shot but was even more pleased at the end of the month to catch this male coming back to the nest with a large feather (large to him at least) to provide a soft feather bed for his mate and the coming hatchlings.

A close-up view of a male tree swallow at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Disheveled

I had settled in to watch a nuthatch flying back and forth to his nest when I noticed this tree swallow and his mate in the tree not far from me. I shifted my gaze and my camera lens back and forth between the two sets of birds for some time. Since the swallows weren't disturbed by my presence, I used the opportunity to try some close-up shots of the male.

The male looked a little disheveled with a feather out of place, understandable given the frenetic pace of the nesting season.

A tree swallow sits on a branch at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Momentary Pause

A tree swallow in the late spring takes a brief break from hunting for insects on the wing over the waters of Long Lake.

A close-up view of a male tree swallow sticking his head out of a tree cavity at Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge

Peeking Out

Tree swallows nest in seemingly every tree cavity during the spring at Ridgefield. I love when they poke their heads out of the holes and made an effort to photograph them this spring. For this accommodating swallow I photographed it from both the front and side. It was a cloudy day so I set the exposure to blow the background to white.

Violet-green Swallow

14 Years

I first saw violet-green swallows up close years ago after I moved to Oregon and noticed several hanging out on the balcony of my wife's apartment. I had no idea it would be 14 years before I'd see them up close again. My wife played a role this time as well. After a good morning of nice soft overcast light, the sun came out in the afternoon and looked to stay out, so I decided to head home and get in some yard work and hedgehogging. But when I called my wife to tell her I was leaving, she said that dark clouds had just rolled in around the house in Portland and I should just stay.

I followed her advice, the spring migrants would be leaving soon and I had to go back to work the next day, so I decided to finish out the day at Ridgefield. The clouds wouldn't arrive for a couple more hours but I was ready when they did and got nice pictures of a handful of species.

I pray it won't be another 14 years before I see one of these jewels up close again, but if it is, at least I have a nice memento to tide me over.

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July 31, 2011