Barn Swallows in Flight [NARRATED] 

I don't have any such childhood memories of Barn Swallows--more's the pity. I envy your recollection of them dancing around the mower. What a perfect description. All I can do is enjoy your memory with you. Oh, and by the way, I published a video two weeks ago about the eyesight of swallows. (They have eyes like hawks, not like songbirds.) And next up (June 28) is one about how swallows fly. I have loved making both of these--just can't get enough of those magical birds.

I wish I had the pleasure. I have to drive somewhere to see them.

Glad to hear it. Me too.

Yes, they are difficult to film in flight, but if you have a camera that will do 120 you could do 120 frames per second, you can get them in slomo. Just make sure to set the shutter speed at least twice as high as the fps. I shot most of this footage at 400 shutter, sometimes at 500 if the light was good enough. As far as getting them in flight, I watch their patterns of behavior and then set the camera up at an angle I think would capture what I want. I gather bunches of clips from a given spot and pick the best results. There's a lot of trial and error to getting the hang of it, but it's certainly doable. Let me know if you try it again. I'd be interested in hearing.

I do have a good camera setup, but I think you could do it with just about any camera that will do 120 frames per second. Just make sure to set the shutter speed at least twice as high as the fps. I shot most of this footage at 400 shutter, sometimes at 500 if the light was good enough. As far as getting them in flight, I watch their patterns of behavior and then set the camera up at an angle I think would capture what I want. I gather bunches of clips from a given spot and pick the best results. There's a lot of trial and error to getting the hang of it, but it's certainly doable. Let me know if you try it again. I'd be interested in hearing.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Hello Jo, thanks for writing back. I just realized now that you replied. I think my problem is that as soon as I get them in the viewfinder, they get out of it like a fighter pilot that doesn't want to have a "target lock" on them. I will keep trying. I think my last visit to my roof trying to get chimney swifts, I decided that I can't zoom in on them too much because that makes it harder to keep them in the viewfinder. I am also using a bridge camera (Lumix FZ80) and I wondered if a DSLR or a "Mirrorless" type with a lens that can be quickly adjusted by hand twisting is what one needs to capture them. I will keep trying. Thank you!

@@WhistlesToAnimals rather than type out all the things I’d like to say about this comment, it would be easier if I could talk to you. Why don’t you email me and I’ll give you my phone number. joalwo7@gmail.com

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Email sent! Talk to you soon I hope.

Love Swallows ... I have nest at my front and my back door. Love seeing the babies

I’m happy to hear that you liked it. I certainly found making it engrossing. I also have an older movie about barn swallows nesting that you might enjoy. Anyway, thanks for commenting.

What a great memory that’s got to be for you! I didn’t have a chance to see Barnes swallows in action until I was in my 30s. I would have liked seeing them around the pasture where we lived. We lived in a suburban area, but we had 3 acres. I don’t remember ever seeing swallows there, but then again, we didn’t mow most of it. You’re a lucky to have had the experience.

When I mow grass, they show up and have a buffet!

And I absolutely love to hear that you feel that way about my videos, Carly. They are a lot of work - and this one in particular was such a challenge - but it’s a labor of love. Thanks for commenting.

Ain't THAT the truth?!

Funny thing you should mention that because I’m currently working on a movie about how swallows see. Their vision IS radically different from ours, and I will explain how when I post it on May 24th.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Awesome!! I need about 50,000 swallows around my home because those no-see-ums are horrendous. Thank you. I've had them appreciate when I mow.

@@andrewczski1969 The upcoming movie does explain how their eyesight differs from ours, but I don’t have much in the way of shots of those little bugs they catch. They can see them, but my camera doesn’t. Yeah, I’ve seen them behind big lawn mowers. Pretty cool. I’ve just been having a lot of fun filming swallows for two upcoming movies about them. I never get tired of watching them zigzag around or of looking at footage of them zigzagging around.

He was worth learning something about, as I know you'd agree.

I think the Swallow-tailed Kite is named after swallows because he's so much more agile than most hawks. And to answer your question, yes, they're considered songbirds. Though they sure don't have much of a song, just lots of chittering.

​@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME hi!!!

@@becki12.43 Back at ya!

Yes, well, I guess an experience like that would create interest in the Barn Swallows from then on. Happy to give you a little swallow-fix. I was filming them this morning and marveling as they zipped across that small river and swooped with a couple of feet of me several times. I didn't know whether to drop my jaw or smile. I envy you what you witnessed.

@@a.m.v.6938 thanks for letting me know how much you enjoyed this one. (And by the way, I am wondering if you happened to notice this one because you saw the short I posted about it on RU-vid yesterday.) Those swallows are endlessly fascinating, aren’t they? But I’m through filming them for this year. After I post my next one about how butterflies, flee predators, I’m thinking maybe one about what causes the iridescence of hummingbird plumage. Those hummers are another creature that I just can’t get enough of.

Some people just don't even know when they've been granted an honor!

I'm jealous; I've never seen that. Cool!

@@walterkosloski621 I knew Mockingbirds would do that, but I didn’t know about barn swallows. And the swallows would be able to make faster escapes than a mockingbird can

Not to me. What am I missing?

Yes it is. They’re not on Antarctica, of course, but any place that has insects has swallows.

Love to hear it! Thanks.

What a pleasure it was to talk to you, Michelle. And now you know where to find those Barn Swallows nesting! I am glad you stopped to ask about what I was doing. Oh and hey, you could type swallows Alwood in the RU-vid search box and find other swallow movies I’ve made, including another one about Barn Swallows.

Michelle, I just noticed your comment again, and I thought you might be interested to know that I put up a movie a week ago about the eyesight of swallows. Their eyes are like a hawk's, not a songbird's. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-foA86HRD_Uo.htmlsi=lHLNzVfvVmNAEAJs

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Fabulous! Thanks for letting me know! I'll check it out

@@michellemut9278 You're welcome, Michelle. I think the info in the new one will intrigue you. And I'm posting a movie on Friday about how swallows fly. I just can't get enough of those little whirlwinds.

I understand why you would say you’ve always loved this bird or always loved that bird. There are just so many cool species around, and, of course, swallows are among the coolest of them all. And by the way, I do plan to make another movie-later this summer probably-about what makes all swallows such aerial acrobats. The barn swallows will highlight it for you when their tails are open with that string of pearls around the inner edge. I wanted to tell you that the day after we had our conversation about your screen name, someone I was talking to said she was simply gobsmacked. It’s a whimsical idiom that has the added virtue of not being overused.

Thanks for telling me so. I research each of my subjects, so you'd likely find other films of interest. I was especially intrigued by what I found out about why bees bumble around so much when they fly. Thanks for commenting.

I’m jealous. I have to drive 20 to 30 minutes to find a colony of them when I want to film them. But they must lift your spirits every time you see them. That’s what they do for me.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME absolutely. They seem to be very smart and I love to watch them.

Thanks, Wren. How could anyone get a good look at these birds and not be impressed, right? I loved showing them off. And I'm pleased to hear that you find my voice so appealing.

That's the kind of compliment I like to start the day with, Matt. Thanks.

WOW. Thank you.

I can do better than that. I already have one up that I posted last spring: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CrCr2G8P9zc.htmlsi=zlaU5itnzmv_nYnz

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME awesome 😎 thanks so much

Fresh eggs and barn swallows. Already I like your place. I am glad you found this video helpful. I also have one called barn swallows nesting that you might be interested in.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOMEThanks I’ll go check that one out! I love your videos!

@@randomvids5883 Love to hear that you love my videos. Thanks.

In general, I look for places where they would build nests. Highway overpasses are a great place to look - though noisy and smelly to my mind. I shot some of this footage at a small river that had a low bridge over it where they were building. The rest was filmed at a conservation area near a river. It had a pavilion with picnic tables, and they had 15 to 20 nests there. If you are in St. Louis, by any chance, I could be more specific.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Thank you Jo! Yes, if you would be so kind to let me know what conservation area it was, I might try to visit if I'm ever in the area. Thank you!

@@andreakoupal I found about 2/3 of the footage at the Columbia bottom conservation area. There are 15 to 20 nests under the pavilion at the boat dock the rest I filmed at Forest Park. There’s a bridge over the Kindle river on theater drive where the birds nest.

Thank you so much, Jo! :)@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME

Hey, good to hear from you, riverbender. And I’m glad you appreciate the movie. I put plenty of effort into it because these gorgeous birds deserve no less.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Their adroit handling the limitations of all of us, creatures of the world is not merely life-affirming, but beautiful. You videos highlight this so wonderfully well. Thank you for helping all to see the magic of the natural world.

@@riverbender9898 a lot of people, I guess, would be bored by the filming I do. A lot of it is just standing around, waiting for something to happen. But when it does, and I manage to capture it well enough, it makes the waiting worth it. In fact, I usually have to make myself pack up and go home. Because who knows what I’ll miss when I do?

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME The significance of your videos is highlighted by the sharing of the wonders of Nature with us all.

@@riverbender9898 I enjoy sharing the beauty of nature with other people.

Hey, good to hear from you. It's been awhile. So, tell me now: what are you talking about? In what sense do we have tails?

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME LOL hi jo, please forgive me, it was a crude attempt at humor, I was trying to say MEN with longer appendages seem to have the same luck with the ladies of the human species.

@@discoveryman59 Oops. Sorry to put you on the spot and make you spell it out. I’m usually better at picking out double entendres. By the way, how did you happen to pick your screen name?

Thanks. Is this Brandon? Did you change your picture? Or do I have two commenters who both like that frog?

I just realized that when I saw your comment it did say Brandon Kendall, but when I clicked on it to reply, it came up on another page with travisbicklejr. Hmm.

@@JoAlwoodBIRDSANDTHENSOME Yes, this is Brandon Kendall, haha!

@@travisbicklejr yeah, I should have recognized the name, Travis Bickle

I enjoyed learning about how the wings and tail make the Barns so much more acrobatic--and passing it along. It's nice to hear that you appreciate it. As for the Tree Swallow numbers being down, I couldn't say. But I do know that overall bird numbers are plummeting. I guess that's because most people think that only people matter.

I'm a cat lover, but that anecdote makes me angry anyway. Yes, the cat's just doing what it was born to do, but such a waste of a beautiful bird.