Swifts

Swifts are amazing birds. It is said that, once leaving the nest, young swifts may not land for up to 3 years. They eat, sleep, drink, mate and collect nest material on the wing. A friend of mine once told me of his conversation about swifts with eminent Australian scientist, Professor Tim Flannery. Tim had told him that swifts were in the vanguard of species' journey to dominate the air. So far species had conquered land and the sea but none had yet conquered the air. Swifts were the closest to claiming that prize but even they depended on land to breed. Maybe one day swifts will give birth to live young on the wing...? Who knows. In any case, they are always a pleasure to watch and, this morning, I witnessed a small arrival of these birds at Klydesøen. After coming in off the sea they spent at least 30 minutes feeding over the water, often at very low altitude, allowing fantastic views. As always, I had my camera with me and, among lots of shots of sky and blurred dark marks, I managed to capture several pleasing photos - all thanks to the amazing focusing of the Canon EOS 1D. As always, click to big them up!