ML333478231

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

So I'm fishing along the shore for small bass with my 4wt flyrod and just after releasing a bass I look out towards the water and there's a huge swallow dipping into the water! This bird was with a quick-moving mixed species swallow flock of about ten birds, including Barn, Tree, Cliff and NRWS. The large swallow was immediately recognizable as a Purple Martin, female-type as it was pale below and dark on top. No camera with me at the immediate moment, so I race back to my vehicle, toss the rod in the back, grab my camera, and then race back to try and re-find the bird. Luckily it was still over the lake and was seen dipping into the water a second time before quickly rising and heading west towards the mustard-covered hillside nearby. The bird did a couple of circles above my head before heading further away and out-of-sight. See photos attached. The entire event lasted about 5-10 minutes, from 10:30a-10:40-ish, then all the swallows departed. I checked the water treatment plant but only a few high Barn Swallows.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

250

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

1984 pixels x 1322 pixels

Original file size

230.61 KB