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Violet-green Swallow
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Violet-green Swallow

by Dennis Plank

Gallery: AvianPosted March 29, 2018209 views7 comments
This is a first for a rock perch for these birds.  Violet-greens are basically cliff dwellers and when we put up houses for them we find that they prefer being at least close to the house.  We always put a few boxes on the edge of the roof and then weight them with something so they don't blow off in a windstorm.  When I put one of them up this year, I just set this rock on top of it.  It looks like this lady decided to call the box home and was perched on the rock in fairly nice light this morning.

7Dii, Sigma 150-600 C @ 600 mm, hand held, f/8, 1/1250, iso 640, aperture priority, pattern metering.  Processed in LR & PS CC,  Cropped a bit for composition to a final size of 17.4 MP.  Taken at 8:37 this morning.

Your comments and critiques are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for taking a look,

Comments

7 comments
Comment posted by Shirley Freeman on March 29, 2018 at 9:43 PM
Absolutely beautiful, Dennis.  Love the story too.  I didn't realize that they liked nest boxes too.  Great detail and color.
Registered on May 27, 2017, 77 Posts, 844 Comments
Comment posted by Wayne Jones on March 29, 2018 at 10:46 PM
Really nice head turn, and the soft light helped you catch some great feather detail, Dennis.  Comparing this to your previous post of this species, I find myself looking for a touch more contrast (on the dark side) and if possible, maybe a bit more blue in the sky.  Of course, that's just a wish list, and wishes don't always come true, so I'll take this one because of the pose.  Thanks for the info about the bird houses.
Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments
Comment posted by Ry Birge on March 29, 2018 at 11:26 PM
Love the comp and subtle colors.  Keep up the good work Dennis  -Ry
Registered on September 23, 2017, 118 Posts, 278 Comments
Comment posted by Genny K. on March 30, 2018 at 1:57 AM
The green really shows up here.  Lovely pose and such a soft lil thing!
We have houses put up for the swallows that show up here in Alaska, not sure if they are the same ones? Will have to check on that.  We absolutely love having the swallows around.  It's the beginning of summer when they show up.
Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments
Comment posted by David Schoen on March 30, 2018 at 11:51 AM
Really nice color and detail.  I like the perch.
Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments
Comment posted by David Bogener on March 30, 2018 at 4:46 PM
Very nice.  I like that you get her at eye level.  Tough on these guys.  Nice eye contact and exposure.  
Registered on October 30, 2013, 417 Posts, 1255 Comments
Comment posted by Nate Chappell on March 30, 2018 at 6:38 PM
A nice perch and a good luck at the unique green coloring of this species Dennisdevil
Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments