Fast food, avian style

Posted bytwosheepstothewindPosted inUncategorized

South Dakota seems to be a good place for swallows. In the Badlands National Park, we found a pavilion that had become a condominium for cliff swallows. It was Grand Central Station out there the other day. Here are some of the images, and it’s also my first attempt at making a gallery.

Hope it works!

It gets pretty crowded at times.
My fave. I caught parent and child in the act of regurgitating. Actually, I don’t know if these birds regurgitate or just bring in the chow hot from the plains.
Love this one for the beauty of the outstretched wings.
When I first saw these folks, I wondered if they were feeding kids or building the mud nests. We had just had a nice overnight rain, and there was plenty of still-damp clay available nearby. Then when I got the photos downloaded I saw the little ones.
These are pretty clearly cliff swallows, according to my bird book. Note the white unibrow on the bird’s face.
I’m sure the parents go directly to *their* offspring, but I sure don’t see apartment numbers on there. Just a bunch of hungry mouths that don’t really care who brings the food!
Not sure what the little shelter was built to become, but the orange cones indicated it’s a restricted area for humans. The eaves have become home to a colony of cliff swallows. And the birds don’t seem to mind the crowd of humans they attract. They’re too busy feeding the little ones.
Junior, if you’re not coming to lunch I’ll just throw it away. Get out here NOW!

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