I have my eye on you

30
Written by Scott K Marshall
I spent most of yesterday afternoon chasing Swallows in the grounds of Huntly Castle. I had several failed attempts under my belt when I peeked through an Arrow Loop (for bowmen to fire with some protection) to spot a resting swallow he was surprised to see me looking back I got off 3 shots 2 were pretty poor but this was pretty good I though next challenge will be to freeze them whilst they are flying - you might have to wait a while for that shot. Swallows are small birds with dark, glossy-blue backs, . They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter.
I spent most of yesterday afternoon chasing Swallows in the grounds of Huntly Castle. I had several failed attempts under my belt when I peeked through an Arrow Loop (for bowmen to fire with some protection) to spot a resting swallow he was surprised to see me looking back I got off 3 shots 2 were pretty poor but this was pretty good I though next challenge will be to freeze them whilst they are flying – you might have to wait a while for that shot. Swallows are small birds with dark, glossy-blue backs, . They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter.

30 Comments

    1. cheers mate – got lucky really and was just ready with a fast shutter speed. lets here it for digital – wasted loads of shots at no cost

  4. I’m about to post a really strange photo of a House Martin playing with the wind outside my hotel room window on the west coast of Scotland last week. Martins and Swallows are fabulous birds to watch.

    1. Yes I agree totally – had house martins nesting the house eves when I was in Shropshire. So fast and I worked out that they feed at different levels depending on the time of day… but never really caught one – but I am learning all the time.

    1. Yes – I preferred the previous layout as I could publish bigger images – but it was less navigable for back catalog and browsing – so as I have less time on my hands (due to studying) I have chosen to offer easier access to my more recent work – which I think this blog allows – also keeps it fresh. I see you were using Andrea as a theme – really rate it and may well return to it in the future when I have time to customise – perhaps merging 2 themes together

      1. I keep looking back through the themes but always come back to that one, though agree, navigation is a pain. How are the studies coming along?

      2. communication issues to begin with, the tutor but seem to have addressed those, work is very busy with the preparation for the arrival of Typhoon so I am often tired in the evenings when I should be studying – ill get there will be much easier when I finish with my current employers and can do this full time with fewer distractions.

  6. Some feat, catching one of those, well done! Well worth the chase I should imagine, they are such beautiful and graceful birds, doesn’t it give a a great sense of satisfaction to look back at your photos from that day. Was watching them over the Lossie some time back wondering how that could possibly achieved with the swallows in flight, but haven’t come up with a workable solution yet as they are so unbelievably fast and unpredictable with their movements. Let me know if you figure it out!

    1. cheers that was my problem too but I spotted them taking breaks and was lucky enough to be at the right spot at the right time. I was already using Shutter priority 1/1000th so I was lucky got a couple of others which are quiet good in different ways – would have loved a 300mm though lol

      1. I need to be close even with a 300mm to achieve a decent result. Not sure I would have gotten a decent image that time at the Lossie even if I had managed to capture one. What lens are you using?

  7. Swallows are so beautiful. I remember, before digital, spending a fortune in film trying and failing to capture one skimming a swimming pool.

    1. Yes I understand that completely – I have so many almost special shots which would have cost a fortune in the past. Next challenge is to catch one flying

  8. Cracking shot, Scott. It really feels like spring when you start to see swallows and I’ve seen a lot of them lately, which is very heartening. They must be a real challenge to photograph though because they rarely seem to land or stay still.

  9. Good shot. We had several pairs of these guys nesting at our house each summer and they sure can move when they’re flying. Good luck catching that. Watching fledglings learning to fly added to the fun, but sadly I didn’t have a decent camera back then. Then again, they can be pretty messy…

    1. ha ha you always make me laugh Lyle – I have plenty of failed attempts under my belt it’s only you and Phil who know what you are doing

  11. Lovely birds. I missed them. Here in North America there is no such a bird. We have something similar but not exactly like European. Great picture.

    1. cheers Lautal and thanks for taking the time to comment, I know you have a lot of subtly different variations of this European Swallow.

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