Barn Swallows

I always enjoy photographing these colorful, fast and maneuverable birds. I spent about an hour photographing them from three angles at Oakland Lake here in New York City on a cloudy day.

1) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/850s 1600 ISO +1.0 EV

2) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/3000s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

3) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/850s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

4) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/850s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

5) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/1900s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

6) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/1900s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

7) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/1900s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

8) X-H2S NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR lens 500mm f/5.6 1/1500s 3200 ISO +1.0 EV

Comments and suggestions welcome,

Morris

Looks like you're ready to shoot dragonflies now Morris.

all very nice, I'm sure they'd look fast even sitting still

pic 1 & 5 for me

jim

Not easy for sure, so nice work there Morris. Keep them coming.

Danny.

I'm always amazed when I see successful images of such a fast moving bird. So far, my limited attempts at swallows in flight have not even netted me a blurry bird.

The last is my favourite in this set.

Number 3 is my favorite!

Great sequence. There were a ton of them out the other day when I was at Ridgefield NWR. I got one sitting still next to me and another with a beak full of muddy nesting material sitting in a nest inside a small structure I was in.

No luck with them on the wing.

Nice job Morris!

• Gary

Very nice set, Morris!

I like number 1. It shows the amazing agility of these birds.

John

At the risk of sounding over dramatic, those are breath taking!

Well, that's fast !!!!

Look at that condensation trail while it takes a turn !!!

( you're faster for sure - is there a condensation over your lenses as well ?)

Morris,

Looking at your shots lets me know how incredibly aerodynamic these birds are.
They can make 90 degree turns on a dime going a hundred miles an hour 😀

How did you accomplish your photos?

Burst mode?

Steve Thomas

Hmm, looks more like a vapor trail from, um, ejecta. Incoming!!

Looked at the expanded detail versions of these - terrific set Morris! Really enjoyed. Swallows-in-flight (SIF 😉) always remind me of biological jet fighters!