smug little baby

Season after season Tree swallows raise their babies up in the vent, on the outer wall, several feet above the ground. With ruptured tendons in my legs I cannot climb up a ladder. When I got to see the bird parents flying in and out the vent I knew that they were building a nest there. I took photos in mornings, mid day and the evenings. Tree swallows are the swiftest birds, I have ever seen. Not easy to photograph. With my camera with telephoto lens mounted on a tripod, I took photos of the parents, babies with their mouths open to be fed and also when the bird babies flew away from the nest. Devout parents take turn to incubate and feed. This a is a fully developed baby, first day outside the nest. It took some time and deep breaths before fledging. Does he (She?) not look cute?

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology