Canada (Ontario)
May 6 2026
female, adult
Blenheim - This bird is the most abundant swallow in the world with numerous subspecies showing regional plumage variations. It is a common breeder across the entire Northern Hemisphere.
Aug 13
40
Wow! Great capture, Brian.
Not an easy catch!!
Beautifully captured.
Very challenging to stop the bird in flight. High winds worked against all of the swallows but helped me with the task.
That’s definitely 💯 one of the best swallow photos I’ve seen. Tremendously difficult.
I have attempted this at other times but was not very successful. If anyone wants to try, your chances improve substantially if the birds are flying low to the water into a headwind (they were). Start focusing on your subjects as they are approaching, flying parallel to the shore and don’t start when across from you, then pull the trigger for the shots when the birds are close enough. Use a high shutter speed with the focus area wide, not spot or close to that range. Leave that for more static subjects. Finally, this is no time for setting the camera at single shots. If you have it, burst/continuous mode will be far more successful. You can delete the rejects later. Then practise, practise, practise.