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Image-of-the-Day by Subject
Birds - Swallow Page 1
Image of day on 27 Aug 2007
A 4 frame animation of an adult swallow delivering beakful of
insects to a youngster waiting on our mains wires. The whole
sequence took less than 0.5secs in real time - no wonder it all
seem over in a moment. (1) Parent approaching
(2) Delivery (3) Departure (4) Chick demands more NOW
but that was all. Some of the feed hanging out of it's beak.
Ref: 20070827_swallow_feed_20070731_410.gif
Image of day on 25 Aug 2005
A chance pairing of a slow soaring Buzzard and nimble
swallow. Scales must be approximately right for them
both to be in reasonable focus
.jpg)
Ref: 20050825_d60_05039 buzzard & swallow 2005aug20_14-47-12(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 03 Apr 2020
at 16:26 Image of day on 27 Apr 2020
If you have seen wildlife film of the grotesque Anglerfish, you will appreciate the 90
degree open mouth of this cloud wanting to swallow the moon!
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20200427_df3_20200403_1626_107 cloud suggest anglerfish about to swallow the moon (orig)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 27 May 2022
at 11:18 Image of day on 10 Jul 2022
Clouds are interesting at this time of year, and the human pattern-creating brain
can't resist seeing things in the patterns.
Here we imagine a cable (probably a contrail) through the sky with Swallows fluttering around it.
 (orig & final)(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20220710_df3_20220527_1118_043 cloudscape - ghost swallows gathering on cable (cloud & contrail moving as one) (orig & final)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 22 Sep 2014
at 13:08 Image of day on 01 Dec 2014
A couple of juvenile Swallows perched on main electricity cables
for what must have been a late brood for these youngsters to be
waiting to be fed - supplementary feeding 'on the wing' is more
typical for this time of year. Here one of the Juvenile Swallows
was briefly joined by a Goldfinch landing on the wire.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20141201_df2_20140922_1308_010+011+013 goldfinch landing on electricity cable near to juvenile swallow 1-3 of 3 accurate adjusted montage @7fps)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Jul 2022
at 05:22 Image of day on 05 Sep 2022
After the two-day heat-wave the weather quickly cooled overnight. To our
surprise this female Kestrel arrived on the meadow post shortly after sunrise
with some sort of Rodent in her beak - we guess a vole or Shrew. One minute
later the Rodent was almost entirely inside the bird.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220905_d01_20220721_0522_254+0523_256_fb6 kestrel female or juvenile lands on meadow post with rodent in beak to swallow 1+3 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 21 Jul 2022
at 05:22 Image of day on 05 Sep 2022
At the meadow post each camera trigger generates 2 images - the first with
the flash firing, and the second in natural light. At night the second frame is black,
but here in very poor light it is possible to extract a poorly balanced image
in which the rodent can be seen more clearly than in the high contrast flash images.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20220905_d01_20220721_0522_255+0523_257_fb6 kestrel female or juvenile lands on meadow post with rodent in beak to swallow 2+4 of 4 (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 25 Aug 2019
at 09:43 Image of day on 20 Oct 2019
This Lesser Swallow Prominent Moth was a reluctant flyer, but is such an stunning
woodland stick mimic we had to show you.
 on box & in flight (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20191020_da1_20190825_0943_193+1941_177_ft1 lesser swallow prominent moth (pheosia gnoma) on box & in flight (montage)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Aug 2006
at 12:15 Image of day on 20 Aug 2006
The swallows have returned to feeding over our own and the
surrounding fields. Now the youngsters have gained some skill in
the air they chase after the parents and sometimes get fed on-the-wing.
They ascend together and transfer the insects near the top of the
sweep - the moment shown here. Its all over in an instant and
very hard to film or photograph.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20060820_d10_20060811_1215_025 parent feeding young swallow in flight (web crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Jul 2020
at 07:21 Image of day on 23 Aug 2020
Normally whatever a Wagtail catches goes down the hatch so fast you don't see it without
the aid of 'technology'. But this Pied Wagtail needed several tries and numerous 'bashes'
on the concrete before the prize would fit the beak.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20200823_df3_20200717_0721_036-039 pied wagtail with large insect in beak unable to swallow it 1-4 of 7 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 11 Dec 2009
at 14:06 Image of day on 05 Jan 2010
Fieldfare flocks always seem to contain a few Redwing and this year was no
exception. This is the Redwing (red wing not showing particularly well but
the facial & breast markings are distinctive) Both birds
generally 'toss' the berry back into their throats rather than
manoeuvring it with the tongue.
(r+mb id@576).jpg)
Ref: 20100105_d01_20091211_1406_432 redwing tossing hawthorn berry into throat to swallow 06 of 10 (crop)(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image of day on 27 Jun 2005
This adult swallow in flight caught the insect at the upper
right and went back to the chick to feed it.
.jpg)
Ref: 20050627_p20_1020337 swallow about to catch visible insect while young swallow waits on wire 2005jun19_12-32-42(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 17 Aug 2008
at 11:51 Image of day on 03 Sep 2008
The swallows continue to delight, and this pair of consecutive
images at the start of a session show you top and bottom of
the bird.
.jpg)
Ref: 20080903_dc1_20080817_1151_001 swallow about to swoop down from wire(r+mb id@576).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Sep 2015
at 15:15 Image of day on 08 Nov 2015
This year the Swallows chose our roof ridge as the preferred
Swallow youngster feeding perch. This first montage (read this
one Left to Right) shows an awkward delivery where the adult flew
round and fed the youngster from over it's back.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20151108_df3_20150906_1515_364-369 swallow adult feeding youngster on roof ridge 1-6 of 7 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Sep 2015
at 15:45 Image of day on 06 Nov 2015
"Open Wide"
Don't both parent and chick have to trust one-another during feeding.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20151106_df3_20150906_1545_086 swallow adult feeding youngster on roof ridge 3 of 7 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Sep 2015
at 15:49 Image of day on 06 Nov 2015
It looks like a Cranefly makes a meal in it's own right.
Read this montage Right to Left. The juvenile on the left is
about 1 second after the feed and has closed its beak over the
cranefly with the insects wings sticking out of either side of
the beak.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20151106_df3_20150906_1549_188+189+194 swallow adult feeding youngster on roof ridge 3+4+9 of 9 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Sep 2015
at 15:37 Image of day on 07 Nov 2015
A hungry Swallow youngster on the roof ridge about to get a very
direct meal from Mum or Dad.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20151107_df3_20150906_1537_956 swallow adult feeding youngster on roof ridge 4 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Sep 2015
at 15:35 Image of day on 07 Nov 2015
Read this montage Right to Left.
The Swallow at the left edge is the disappointed sibling of the one that is fed.
(r+mb id@1024).jpg)
Ref: 20151107_df3_20150906_1535_890-892 swallow adult feeding youngster on roof ridge @7fps2-4 of 5 (montage)(r+mb id@1024).jpg
Image Taken on 06 Sep 2015
at 15:17 Image of day on 08 Nov 2015
As well as the roof ridge, the TV aerial got used once or twice
as a Swallow feeding perch.
(r+mb id@768).jpg)
Ref: 20151108_df3_20150906_1517_399 swallow adult feeding youngster on tv aerial 4 of 8 (crop)(r+mb id@768).jpg
Image Taken on 02 May 2009
at 16:43 Image of day on 24 May 2009
The swallows are definitely back in pristine breeding condition.
.jpg)
Ref: 20090524_db1_20090502_1643_092 swallow adult with long tail streamers perched on wire(r+mb id@576).jpg
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