I visited Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive this past Sunday knowing I would see a lot of different birds there, but I was hoping to see one kind in particular: Barn Swallows.
I saw some at LAWD in early May, but I wasn’t successful in getting any decent pictures of these fast-moving, 7-inch birds with their forked tails. I wanted another chance to try to photograph them.
I had some good luck and came across a group of Barn Swallows. Then the bad luck followed: the lighting at the location wasn’t great, and there were other challenges.
First, trying to get a shot of the birds in focus while they flew was difficult as they zipped around with their zig-zag flight pattern. These birds are almost always on the go. They usually don’t slow down even to take a drink – they drink in flight by skimming along the water or taking water off wet leaves.
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Second, trying to dial in the proper camera settings to accurately capture birds’ coloring was also troublesome.
The Birds of Florida Field Guide described them as having a “blue-black back” while AllAboutBirds.com called their top part “glistening cobalt blue.” To me they were dark black with specks of blue.
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Fortunately, these birds decided to give me a break when they took a break on nearby a power line. It was easier to shoot them sitting than trying to follow them around in flight.
I was able to get some pictures, but I’m still not particularly happy with them. That just means I will have to make another attempt soon.
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