Reflections of a swallow

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Reflections of a swallow

May 16, 2016 by Mike Powell

Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are fast and erratic fliers as they chase after insects in mid-air. It’s tough to track them in my camera’s viewfinder and even more difficult to get shots that are in focus.

Last Friday, however, I managed to capture some images of a Tree Swallow at Huntley Meadows Park as it swooped so low above the surface of the water that it cast a reflection. It was an overcast day in which the sky and the water seemed to have the same gray color,, making it hard to tell where the sky ended and the water began.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, wildlife | Tagged Alexandria VA, birds in flight, Canon 50D, Huntley Meadows Park, swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, Tamron 150-600mm, Tree Swallow | 17 Comments

17 Responses

on May 16, 2016 at 9:35 am | Reply gabbartrip

Fantastic!
on May 16, 2016 at 9:48 am | Reply svtakeiteasy

Magic! These are seriously good! Having observed Welcome Swallows – a cousin of your Tree Swallows, I know how quick they are and how very difficult they are to capture in flight!
- on May 17, 2016 at 5:32 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Chris. Tracking with a long telephoto for an extended period of time almost wore out my shoulder, so it was nice to get a couple of reasonably sharp shots.
on May 16, 2016 at 10:16 am | Reply Victor Rakmil

Outstanding shots.
- on May 17, 2016 at 5:32 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Victor.
on May 16, 2016 at 10:57 am | Reply Jet Eliot

Wow, nearly impossible to get swallows in the binoculars, let alone photograph them. Wonderful photos Mike!
- on May 17, 2016 at 5:34 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Jet. It’s a fun challenge to try to capture subjects like this. A bit later in the summer I’ll try the same thing with dragonflies, which are equally speedy and unpredictable, though some will occasionally hover over the water, which is something that swallows don’t do.
on May 16, 2016 at 12:17 pm | Reply Johanna Åkesson

Really impressive shots. The reflections create a very pleasing composition. Swallows are so very fast, I doubt I wound ever be able to get a photo of one in flight.
on May 16, 2016 at 1:15 pm | Reply shoreacres

I did manage to capture one in flight a couple of weeks ago, but it was headed away from me, and it certainly wasn’t as lovely as these. The reflection is so wonderful — as are the birds. This is quite a feat.
on May 16, 2016 at 1:55 pm | Reply Laura (PA Pict)

These are magical shots! I love the use of the reflection in the composition. I am very impressed with how sharply you caught the bird given how speedily they fly.
- on May 17, 2016 at 5:29 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Laura. My only “secret” is patience and persistence. I was happy to get shots in focus–the reflections were a real bonus.
on May 16, 2016 at 5:27 pm | Reply bestregardsfromfar

Fantastic capture!
- on May 17, 2016 at 5:35 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks so much.
on May 17, 2016 at 1:24 am | Reply bcsongbird

These shots are fabulous!
- on May 17, 2016 at 5:28 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks. Tree Swallows are pretty common here, but it is uncommonly tough to capture them in flight.
on May 21, 2016 at 3:43 pm | Reply iseebeautyallaroundbyrobpaine

fantastic!
- on May 21, 2016 at 5:47 pm | Reply Mike Powell
  
  Thanks, Rob.