I know I fall in love a lot but this time it’s different.
It has got feathered feet.
House Martins have been arriving on the farm for a couple of weeks now and their numbers are growing. I have been looking for a way to get close to them and this morning I think that I found it.
The Swallows are very good at sitting on the wire outside of my front door but up until now I hadn’t seen the Martins settle anywhere. I noticed there was a lot of activity behind one of the farm buildings, so I snuck round there and I found mud.
Mud and Martins.
They do seem to like mud.
Well I wasn’t over pleased with the pictures that I got but this is the first time that I have got close to them. By the time I found the best spot to watch them the sun had gone in. They let me get very close in the end, I just had to stay in the shadow, pressed against a wall and not move. There are much better pictures to come.
There is a good in-flight shot to come out of this but I need the sunshine to freeze the movement and I need the luck for the bird to come into frame and focus at just the right moment.
Not this time but I am enjoying trying.
The main thing for me today was just getting close to them. I know House Martins and I could spot one for you at a distance but I have never seen their fluffy feet before. My pictures may not be great but they are great enough for you to see that is one very cute bird.
Also a comedian.
I am seeing the stars of the silent screen in this bird.
Idiot mud eating bird, I already love you.
Come and love my camera.
A Tramp in the Woods 