While out for a short walk this afternoon and continuing to follow-up on the Tree Swallow nests, still waiting for signs of young poking their heads out, something else caught my eye. In addition to the swallows buzzing around hawking for insects were some Black Swifts. While somewhat similar in appearance to swallows, they are a different family of bird and noticeably larger with broad square tails.
Unlike the swallows which will take time to rest on branches, the Black Swift will stay aloft continually hunting for insects during the day. This means it is very unlikely you will get them posing for you on a nice perch.
Your only opportunity will be trying to get them in flight. This can be both challenging and frustrating trying to photograph a relatively dark bird with a bright sky and not end up with a black blog. Fortunately there was some direct light on them occasionally and I did manage a couple. The bonus is that the Black Swift shots from today are a new addition to my life photo list.
