Barn Swallow

Steve Buckingham reports:

I got an early preview this past Saturday on Disposal Road of the Swallow Madness at DeKorte that I look forward to each year in late April/early May.

Dozens of Barn, Tree and Rough-wing swallows were soaring and swooping in the high winds right at the curve in the road, at the eastern end of the retention pond where we usually congregate for raptors in the winter, and over the surface of the retention pond.

It was a fun challenge to try to photograph these speedy daredevils in flight.  Attached is a trifecta of the three species.  When I returned on Sunday afternoon, the Barns and Rough-wings were gone, and only a small number of Trees remained, sticking to the pond area inside the fence.

(Thanks, Steve!)

Although the Ridgefield Park nesting site appears to have failed this year, Al and Alice are still using the nest site to roost at night, and other eagles (Al and Alice’s offspring?) are fishing nearby, much to the annoyance of local gulls.

Jerry Barrack passed along this sequence from Sunday (yes, an Osprey was fishing there, too.).

(Thanks, Jerry!)

DeKorte Park and all its buildings will be closed on Saturday, April 26, for road repairs. Please plan accordingly.

Muhammad Faizan was nice enough to share his video of the Yellow-headed Blackbird that was at DeKorte Park for several days recently. (Thanks, Faizan!)

More of Faizan’s YHBB pix here.