{"id":19117,"date":"2025-06-15T07:30:32","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T19:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/?p=19117"},"modified":"2025-06-15T07:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T19:30:32","slug":"a-surfeit-of-swallows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tonywhitehead.com\/wildlight\/archives\/19117","title":{"rendered":"A Surfeit of Swallows"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Photo<\/a>
Warou\/Welcome swallow with a hatching midge plucked from the water surface<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of our regular weekend routines is a visit to the library bookshop in Kuirau Park. There is a pond adjacent and I always keep an eye out for the birds. A recent morning revealed a surfeit of swallows in an endless parade dipping to a hatch of aquatic insects. Unusually, I hadn’t brought my camera as a backlog of images was making me reluctant to capture any more new ones (not a good approach to utilising opportunity). Watching the birds I was tempted to dash home and collect my camera but the morning had other more important priorities. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Photo<\/a>
Warou\/Welcome swallow plucking a hatching midge from the water surface<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Later in the day the temptation to return was too high despite the possibility that the hatch had ended. Edin and I went back with our cameras and as soon as we stopped the car we could see the swallows still darting over the pond. What followed was the most frantic and consistent opportunity to photograph swallows that I have ever had. Being later in the day the light was changing and offered us a variety of lighting opportunities. This video clip<\/a> gives an idea of the number of birds that were continually lapping the pond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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