Violet-green Swallows in a Clearcut
[Click images to view in a lightbox.]
There’s a tiny valley I know that was clear-cut a few years ago. While some new trees—probably future Christmas trees—are growing there now, the ground is strewn with stumps and jagged fragments of old trees, like the branch in this photo. The perches may not be pretty for the photographer, but these Violet-green Swallows—a female, juvenile, and male (from left to right)—don’t seem to mind. In fact, there are quite a few birds in that field: mostly robins, but also Yellow-rumped Warblers, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows, Northern Flickers, and, at the far end, a Red-tailed Hawk.
I watched these swallows for a long time on Sunday. Eventually the juvenile left but the adults stuck around. They let me get remarkably close too. It was lightly raining, and now that I see the photos I wish I would have slowed down my shutter speed to really accentuate the rain.
Next time.
Location: Marion County, Oregon
Date: May 9, 2021
Exposure: 1/800 second, f/6.3, ISO 800
Focal Length: 600 mm
Gear:
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary