Migration

Swallows are not our birds; we only borrow them. Soon to be lost to foreign shores. Drink these beauties in while you can.

they’re back

With the recent warm weather the migrants came flooding in. I was walking on the clifftop here in Runton the other evening and a Whinchat and a Wheatear dropped in to rest for the evening. Swallows were flying purposely west … on there way to who knows where. This chap was resting at Minsmere on the migration day last weekend.

Visiting Travellers

As we walked down the dunes on Sunday there was a flock of swallows making their way slowly south towards Africa. Feeding as they went. Then they rested a while before moving on again. They are enough to lift any heart. Unencumbered, no ties, able to fly where they wish. Not without reason we say something or someone is as free as a bird. They travel between continents at will – do you envy them?

Cold

it’s been a few years since we had such a cold spring. Hail, cold rain and cloudy skies predominated at the end of last month. Unusual conditions determines unusual behaviour.  I saw this swallow scrating about in a recently seeded field trying to find a few insects to eat.

One long holiday

.

This little fella was hanging around on the hill here at Northrepps the other day. He had not long fledged and still thought he had to wait for his parents to come by and feed him so they were trying to coax him into the air to catch his own dinner.

Very soon he’ll be making his way south through Europe across the Mediterranean and into Africa. From there he’ll cross the Sahara and down through Angola and Namibia into South Africa for the winter. I hope he makes it.

.

 

 

Hard to Swallow

At the local reservoir the other day the cold morning air kept the insects down closer to the water’s surface. The Swallows followed and were more obliging for photographs.
Birds in flight especially something as erratic and fast as a Swallow are never easy to capture but with a little patience it’s possible to get a decent shot or two. I set out with the intention of getting a shot of the tail spotting of a nice long tailed male.
This shot was taken using the camera (Canon Eos 5D with a 100-400mm zoom lens fitted) on manual setting with a shutter speed of 1/2000th of a second and the aperture wide open at 5.6. The ISO was set to automatic and a reading taken from the ground at my feet. The ISO was then set to the resulting 640. As usual click to enlarge.

Swallow and Snow

A few Lapwing and Golden Plover with a scattering of Fieldfare were new to the hill. A change in the weather brought new birds and a bright morning of sun soon changed on Tuesday to a winter’s scene.

Moving in from the north a heavy snow laden sky brought a blizzard to north Norfolk; the first snow of the winter. Just before it arrived an unlikely sighting; a Swallow skipping east. I had to look twice. In fact I looked to the local highland cow for confirmation … but he seemed unimpressed.

Hard to Swallow

This picture, taken in the rain, of a lone hunched up Swallow resting as it moved north over the hill last week sums up the spring so far – cold and wet!