disperser Feathers, My YouTube, Photography, YouTube

Tree Swallows – 2012 Edition

Earlier this year I posted a few photos of Tree Swallows.  I even posted a series that got me first place in a blog contest (Tell Us a Story), promising of “more later”.

Well, it’s later, and this is more.

I’ve been pretty busy with lots of stuff, most of it work, so I ended up missing the hatching, raising, and eventual flight of the brood in the box at my house.  All of the photos, and the videos, are from the field next to the building where I work.  And I almost missed them as well.  All these shots are from the 18th and 19th of July, and they are the sum-total of my brood shots.

I get the evil eye as the parent tries to decide which mouth to feed
I get the evil eye as the parent tries to decide which mouth to feed

She ends up feeding both (see the whole series at the SmugMug Gallery – click HERE).  But what is interesting about this series is that as I was shooting, I heard a buzz, and catch a movement.

As she is feeding her brood, a hummingbird starts buzzing her.
As she is feeding her brood, a hummingbird starts buzzing her.
It buzzes the swallow a couple of times, and is very vocal (for a hummingbird).
It buzzes the swallow a couple of times, and is very vocal (for a hummingbird).

I’ve not seen hummingbirds behave like this toward other birds.  They are very territorial when it comes to other hummingbirds, but have not seen them react to other birds.

The tree Swallows leaves, and the hummingbird goes back to its perch, right above the box.
The tree Swallows leaves, and the hummingbird goes back to its perch, right above the box.

Moments later, it too leaves.  What was that about?  Don’t know.

Right after this I take the series I use in the “tell us a story without words” post, with a theme of survival.  I’ll add a few of the shots I did not use for the story.  All of them are in the SmugMug gallery.

Gimme!
Gimme!
Hand-off . . .
Hand-off . . .

The movie at the opening of the post was shot the next day, as was this movie:

The interesting thing with YouTube . . . it does not show movies in portrait mode.  Neither does anyone else.  Were I to have a proper movie editor, I would have trimmed the video to just the height I wanted (thereby making it show up wider).  But me no gots movie editor software worth darn.

Anyway, after shooting those movies, I took some photos.  There is a slew of photos in SmugMug, but I’ll post here a few of the ones I like.

Every once in a while she would give me a "look" . . . but eventually would go back to doing what she did all day long.
Every once in a while she would give me a “look” . . . but eventually would go back to doing what she did all day long.
Feeding the chicks.
Feeding the chicks.
Then off to get more bugs.
Then off to get more bugs.
Then back again . . .
Then back again . . .
I don't know where these chicks put all this food.
I don’t know where these chicks put all this food.
They never seem sated . . . and the adult goes off for more.
They never seem sated . . . and the adult goes off for more.
That's a grasshopper . . . not a small snack.
That’s a grasshopper . . . not a small snack.
The adult tried a number of times to feed it to the chick, eventually jamming it in there.
The adult tried a number of times to feed it to the chick, eventually jamming it in there.
Disgusting! . . . I mean, "Yummy!"
Disgusting! . . . I mean, “Yummy!”
This looks more manageable.
This looks more manageable.
This is a lot of work for the adult . . . it's almost non-stop,with only the occasional break.
This is a lot of work for the adult . . . it’s almost non-stop,with only the occasional break.

I noticed a few of the hand-offs did not go smoothly, and the bug would be dropped.  The parents did not drop down to the ground to get it, but rather would go off and get another one.   It seemed wasteful to me.

This next shot is one of my favorites.

Don't know why I like this so much . . . perhaps because the greedy little bastard is hidden from view.
Don’t know why I like this so much . . . perhaps because the greedy little bastard is hidden from view.
Ah . . . there it is, sucking face.
Ah . . . there it is, sucking face.
It's a wonder the parent manages to get away unhurt!
It’s a wonder the parent manages to get away unhurt!

I understand, and this is second hand, human parents have it worse than these poor Tree Swallows.  One week, and these birds are flying on their own, catching their own meals, and forging their way into the world.

Not so for many human offspring . . . But that’s a story for another time.

Anyway, I will futilely remind people these photos can be seen in much greater detail in the SmugMug Gallery.  There are 55 photographs in the gallery, and also both of the movies.  Many of the photos are complete sequences.  It might be of interest to some.

Thanks for perusing my stuff.

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