Migrant Swallows rest on Davidstow airfield

These Swallows were resting on this rock on the "highest point" on Davidstow airfield. Whilst the rock was only a foot off the ground, it was a welcome perch for these pristine Swallows. Presumably, they had just arrived after a long flight as they seemed quite docile and content to sit for a while. I checked my "library" of images and surprisingly, this is my first decent opportunity to photo Swallows - all the better in an unlikely location.

EXIF Detail: Aperture priority. F/7.1. ISO 320. -0.3EV. WB Cloudy. Centre-weighted metering. Focal length 600mm. Taken from car window.

Sand Martins at Gwithian, Cornwall July 2008

These images were taken at St Gothians Nature Reserve, adjacent to Gwithian Towans in July. About forty pairs breed nearby and come to the reserve to feed, bathe and preen. These birds afforded close views in strong early morning light. Swallows also use the area and freely mix with the martins. Exposure was dropped to -1.0 and ISO was set to 200. WB remained on Cloudy setting to give a bit more warmth to the image. All images are original and uncropped.

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