![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/barn-swallow-0394-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"barn-swallow-0394-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThese photos were taken two years ago (8\/19\/15) at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I’ve never posted them before because they’re not quite as sharp as I like but I ran into them again last night and decided to cut them some slack because I’m such a fan of interesting behaviors, technically perfect images or not.<\/p>\n
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1\/4000, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n There’s no other way to put it,\u00a0this fledgling was nothing short of a glutton – just like they need to be at this stage of their lives. It\u00a0waited on this perch\u00a0for food deliveries from its parents and the adults delivered – repeatedly. The youngster usually began its begging routine long before I ever saw an adult coming in and that was my signal to begin firing off a burst.\u00a0I almost think of the young swallow as my photographic assistant – my second pair of eyes. Thanks little guy.<\/p>\n I like this photo mostly because of the unusual wing position of the hovering adult and the glimpse we get\u00a0of the insect in the youngsters mouth.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/5000, f\/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The adults really stuff the food deeply down the gullet of their offspring. I’m not fond of the double catch light in the fledgling’s eye but it’s natural so I decided I wouldn’t tinker with it even though one of them would have been easy to remove. It appears that the adult has its nictitating membrane closed (thus the dispersed catch light) just as one would expect during a process like this that could potentially injure the eye. You never know what an awkward and hungry\u00a0youngster\u00a0might do when it’s flailing for a meal.<\/p>\n Barn Swallows often raise a second brood each season so even at this late date nesting season continues for many of them. Who knows, I may have another chance to photograph this behavior before the snow flies…<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There’s no other way to put it – this fledgling was nothing short of a glutton<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/barn-swallow-0402-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"barn-swallow-0402-ron-dudley\\"")
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