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I saw something new the other day at a pond in a nearby subdivision. I watched a swallow strafe a small white feather floating on the surface, then circle back and pick it up. Then it dropped the feather from about 20 feet up, caught it in mid-air, and flew away with it.

Doing some research later, I learned that many swallows line their nests with found feathers. Duck, geese, and chicken feathers are among the most common. In fact, I learned that some people do “feather tossing,” throwing feathers in the air and watching swallows catch them in flight. My theory is that my swallow let the feather fall to dry off some of the water before returning to the nest.

I don’t know for sure what type of feather it is. The pond has Mallards as well as Canada Geese. Admittedly, I don’t even know what type of swallow it was. I’ve gone back with binoculars to check but the swallows weren’t around. Maybe it was a Violet-green Swallow like this one, which I photographed at a community garden.

Location: Silverton, Oregon

Date: May 15, 2021

Exposure: 1/1250 second, f/6.3, ISO 400

Focal Length: 600 mm

Gear:

• Camera: Nikon D750

• Lens: Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary