Tree Swallow / Tachycineta bicolor

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Apparently, many of my photos are not being seen at the moment. For one thing, the order of my daily three is reversed when seen by email, and previously posted photos are seen instead of the newest ones. The number of views has dwindled to the lowest I've had in years. If people don't like my photos or find them uninteresting, that is an absolutely OK reason with me - but when it is caused by Flickr messing things up, that's a whole different story : )

Anyway, I finally went for a short drive SW of the city early yesterday evening, 7 May 2016. I was hoping to see Mountain Bluebirds, but my 'usual' pair don't seem to be at their old nesting box. At least, there was no sign of them yesterday, and Tree Swallows were circling around this box and the one just a few feet away. I did find a different pair, being harassed by Tree Swallows, and was able to get several distant, quick shots.

"Handsome aerialists with deep-blue iridescent backs and clean white fronts, Tree Swallows are a familiar sight in summer fields and wetlands across northern North America. They chase after flying insects with acrobatic twists and turns, their steely blue-green feathers flashing in the sunlight. Tree Swallows nest in tree cavities; they also readily take up residence in nest boxes. This habit has allowed scientists to study their breeding biology in detail, and makes them a great addition to many a homeowner’s yard or field." From AllAboutBirds.

www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Tree_Swallow/id

I had also hoped to see a Wilson's Snipe at the usual place and I was lucky to find one standing on a fence post. Usually, these birds will stay for a while, but this one let me get a couple of photos and off it flew. It was SO good to see one again - they are one of my favourite birds to photograph. Other species seen were a Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, a Coot, various distant ducks and an extremely distant pair of Red-necked Grebes.