The first Barn Swallows have raised their first brood and have fledged.
Just spotted them whilst monitoring the Bee-Eaters which are increasing in numbers. A group of 5 just flew over.
The Well Barn Swallows 2nd Brood
You remember my posts a few weeks back regarding the Barn Swallows nesting down inside an old disused well (see HERE). As normal with Barn Swallows (sometimes they go for a 3rd!), they are now raising a 2nd brood, this time 5 chicks are in the nest.
This morning was amazing clear skies, so I headed to the old pump house and managed to eventually get the tripod and 500mm lens into position, it was a bit tight!
Red-Rumped Swallows
To be honest, they have been back a while and it seems that all around the Algarve they appeared much earlier than their usually late Spring arrival.
We’ve been lucky locally as while a lot of the Algarve is having rain, we’ve had a patch of clear blue sky above the Quinta most of the day. The Red-Rumped Swallows are of course out hunting on the wing and I took a break from gardening duties to capture some with the camera.
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The Barn Swallows Already Have Babies!
You may remember a post a few days ago showing a Barn Swallow sitting on it’s nest inside a disused Well. Just to reiterate, I am able to view this nest without disturbing them or the adults. Please don’t approach any nest that is in danger of being disturbed!
This morning I took a look and there are 3 hungry babies in there. The adults are busy feeding them and also occasionally sitting on them to keep them warm.
Here is a shot I grabbed this morning, in case you are wondering the middle one is perfectly fine and alive!
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Morning Dog Walk: Barn Swallow Tail
I take a camera along on my Dog Walks to bring you some of the sightings that I see on my morning walks, these photos are rarely going to be great quality as its hard enough keeping an energetic Dog entertained and get close enough to anything. They also help me identify where species are so that I can plan to return.
I was watching some Barn Swallows catching Flies this morning and wanted to grab a quick shot of one with its tail feathers spread wide to show the white flashes. It’s a sight you don’t see very often as they open their tail feathers to turn and it happens so quickly you often miss it.
If you struggle identifying the difference between Swallows, Swifts and Martins, keep a look out for this week’s Algarve Resident. On sale on Thursday, this month’s article is a quick guide on the differences between them. A few days later it will also be available online.
Here is one just about to gulp down a Fly.
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