I try not to close myself off to finding something other than my intended target when heading out with the camera. These little birds were not my intended subject for the day but they were a delightful distraction. The swallow fledglings put on a great show that was hard to ignore. One of the birds had a deformed leg, so was even more interesting as it tried to keep its balance sitting on the branch.
I called this image a balancing act with good reason. The fledgling only had one leg to stand on. Clinging to the branch and reaching at the same time becomes a whole body experience. The swallow was using its tail as a counter balance as it leaned forward to reach the bug. I am not sure if it was a bug or a bit of bark but it was hanging on a spider web and moving in the wind. This was making it almost impossible for the fledgling to catch.
Every time I turned towards the swallows there was something else to photograph. This fledgling had just found a feather to play with. Eventually the feather was dropped into the water and discarded. I guess it didn’t taste like food! I hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed making them.
