Page 16 - Cornwall Issue 2 2025

THE BIG PICTURE

BARN SWALLOW Hirundo Rustica
AFR: EUROPESE SWAEL
The Barn Swallow is a widely distributed swallow
with a distinctive long, deeply forked tail, glossy
blue-black upper parts, and a reddish-brown fore-
head and throat. These swallows are highly skilled
aerial hunters, pursuing insects in flight with remark-
able agility. They build open cup-shaped nests from
mud pellets, often placed in sheltered locations
such as barns, stables, or under bridges. They are
migratory, breeding in the northern hemisphere and
over-wintering in Southern Africa. They are often
seen in large flocks, especially during migration and
outside the breeding season, and can be seen hunt-
ing over water, fields and grasslands.

THE SWALLOWS OF RIETVLEI

A M OM E N T IN F L I G H T

BY IVAN MULLER PHOTOGRAPHY / INSTAGRAM: IVAN’S.BIRD.PICS

itnessing the aerial ballet of swallows and mar- pursued insects and food. Documenting these swift birds
tins at Rietvlei Nature Reserve is a spectacle with a Canon EOS R7 and an 800mm f/11 lens required
Wof nature’s agility and grace. A few weeks ago, a high shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second and a rapid
I was fortunate to observe a large congregation of these 30 frames per second, highlighting the difficulty of freezing
birds, numbering around a hundred, engaging in their their fleeting movements. The opportunity to photograph
intricate hunting rituals. They soared and swooped over four distinct species in such close proximity in one session
the water, demonstrating remarkable precision as they was truly a privilege.

14 2 Cornwall View • Issue 2 2025