wired photos on Flickr

I saw an unseasonably late Swallow in West Yorkshire on 23 November last year, and I expect I'll see my first of 2021 within the next week or two (Post script: I posted this on 28 March and saw my first Swallows on 31 March 2021). But this is a Wire-tailed Swallow which is found in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia including much of India. This is the African subspecies which is a touch smaller than our British Swallow. Like most swallows it's easy to get flight views but not easy to get one perched close so you can enjoy distinctive long, ridiculously thin tail streamers, blue and white plumage with a vent strap and a burnished copper cap. The tail streamers are very variable in length and often get broken. Males have longer streamers than females but are otherwise similar. It is rarely seen far from water and unlike our Swallow, Wire-tailed does not migrate. Its scientific name Hirundo smithii commemorates Norwegian botanist Christen Smith who died aged 30 in 1816 on an expedition to see if the River Congo had connections with the Niger. The type specimen of Wire-tailed Swallow was taken on this expedition and named in 1818 to honour Smith. I photographed this one by Lake Tana in Ethiopia.

Wired by Sally Tregear

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Wired by Kathy Nobles

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HMM....in some time zone besides mine:)

wire brush weald by Johnny Brown

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~ Wired ~ (fence) by ©Komatoes

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Back to my old fence ways...

50MM @ f1.8

Blurry fence! ;)