The needletails did eventually arrive - but when it was already far too dark for photography. However, this was made up for by the presence of 10-20 Grey-rumped Treeswifts flying low to and fro along the dam, which gave me a good opportunity to try and capture some flight shots.
Males.
Females.
This seems to be the inter-breeding period. Most birds were in wing and tail moult, with some having lost their longer outer tail feathers altogether, which made them look quite odd in flight!
Toward dusk they went to roost in some small trees near the guard house. This was a challenge photographically, as they were against a colourless sky, and I was very limited in my viewpoint options (mostly directly below!). Hope to go back and improve these shots on a better day.
Very fluffy!
A Brahminy Kite provided a considerably simpler challenge!
I love treeswifts! Too bad, we only get the Crested Treeswift here in Chiang Mai. Right now they're all getting civilised. They even nest on electrical wires along the road.
ReplyDeleteLove those flying shots. I know how hard it is to obtain them.
ReplyDeleteGreat shots Dave! I'm greatly honoured by this post. From my expreience, the Needletails tend to come down to drink mainly during overcast or dull weather conditions. Good luck next time too :-)
ReplyDeleteAmazing work again!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what lens you use. Or are these made using digiscoping?
Dave, it looks like you were up to the Treeswift Challenge, despite the poor light !
ReplyDeleteThanks to all for your kind words. Erwin - I'm still using my trusty old Canon 100-400 f4-5.6 L lens.
ReplyDeletenice sharp images with that lens!
ReplyDelete