Love watching these bug catchers
🚨 Lifer Alert 🚨: Tree Swallow
I took this photo back in May during the Horicon Marsh Bird Festival. Spring migration was just kicking into high gear, and lots of different species were moving through, establishing territory, starting nests.
One of the paths we were walking was completely taken over by Tree Swallows, claiming every available nest box. This lovely lady must have already claimed the nest box nearby because she refused to move from her perch as we passed. She gave me a nice long look from about 10 feet away, still probably the sharpest photo I've taken of a Swallow.
[ID: A female Tree Swallow sits on a bare branch. She has a white body and throat, with dark gray head and wings. There are small flecks of blue on her forehead above a jet black beak and shiny black eyes. She clings tightly to the branch with pinkish feet, seemingly unafraid of the people nearby. End ID]