Photo: Hungry Mouths

Hungry Mouths (Barn Swallows)

Hungry Mouths (Barn Swallows)

A few years ago during a visit to Mendocino, I was walking down the main street of shops when I heard a ruckus from over my head.  As I stepped back to look up, I saw a bird dart away and I spotted a barn swallow’s nest with four rather large chicks (one is hiding behind the others in the above photo).  I immediately brought out the camera with my zoom lens as my wife sighed and continued walking up the street.  She had gotten used to my photo distractions and knew I would catch up (she also knew this meant she had a few minutes of private shopping time… 🙂  ).  Over the course of five or so minutes I was able to capture numerous return trips of the mother swallow feeding her hungry chicks.  Even though the lighting was bad due to the nest being under the rafters of the building’s entrance, this set of feeding photographs shows that a parent swallow’s work is never done.

Swallow Chicks Awaiting Mom

Swallow Chicks Awaiting Mom

I especially like the comparison of the Barn Swallow chicks while they are waiting for Mom (right) versus the open mouth version when they see Mom is back with food (above).  Those are definitely some hungry mouths to feed.

Click through on any photo to view a larger version, see the rest of the portfolio, and to purchase prints.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Human Test * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.