oz_bird_photography
Welcome Swallow
Portrait of a Welcome Swallow
www.instagram.com/oz_bird_photography
🐦Common name: Welcome Swallow
Scientific name: Hirundo neoxena
🌍 Location: Southeast Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺
.Date: 4/05/2021
ℹ️Info
Welcome Swallows get their name from being a welcome sign of warm sunny days. They winter in the north, and head south when the weather gets warmer.
On cold mornings, like the one when this image was taken, they puff themselves up, giving themselves this cute plump apperance. They feed on a variety of insects which they catch mid-flight with impressive acrobatic skills. They have short bristles at the sides of their mouths which help guide their food and stops it hitting their eyes during flight.
The droppings of the Welcome Swallow are filled with unwelcome bacteria and parasites that can cause serious diseases such as histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis and toxoplasmosis. The nests are also breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria and parasites but lucky for the hatchlings, they have maternal antibodies that make them immune to such diseases.
📷Camera: Nikon D500
🔎Lens: Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR
Settings: 500mm f/10 1/250 sec ISO 640
💪Manual mode (as always)
Welcome Swallow
Portrait of a Welcome Swallow
www.instagram.com/oz_bird_photography
🐦Common name: Welcome Swallow
Scientific name: Hirundo neoxena
🌍 Location: Southeast Queensland, Australia 🇦🇺
.Date: 4/05/2021
ℹ️Info
Welcome Swallows get their name from being a welcome sign of warm sunny days. They winter in the north, and head south when the weather gets warmer.
On cold mornings, like the one when this image was taken, they puff themselves up, giving themselves this cute plump apperance. They feed on a variety of insects which they catch mid-flight with impressive acrobatic skills. They have short bristles at the sides of their mouths which help guide their food and stops it hitting their eyes during flight.
The droppings of the Welcome Swallow are filled with unwelcome bacteria and parasites that can cause serious diseases such as histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis and toxoplasmosis. The nests are also breeding grounds for dangerous bacteria and parasites but lucky for the hatchlings, they have maternal antibodies that make them immune to such diseases.
📷Camera: Nikon D500
🔎Lens: Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6 E ED VR
Settings: 500mm f/10 1/250 sec ISO 640
💪Manual mode (as always)