I am so pleased! Today, at Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, the Tree Swallows were out in number flying at high speed. They can fly at speeds up to 40 MPH. I spent time watching them and practicing Back Button Focus to catch them in flight. I got some nice shots. This is one of my favorites.

As I mentioned before, swallows are capable of fast speed of flight. This comment from the Sonoma County Bird Watching Spots sums it up pretty well:

"Swallows and swifts really aren't hard to identify. They're just hard to get a look at. Flying almost incessantly and at high speed, they usually have to be identified on the wing. Once in a while, you get lucky and a swallow.....perches. Tree Swallow is characterized by its almost metallic greenish-blue back and head with a white throat, breast, and belly. The color alone is enough to identify this bird, but color can be hard to see in flight or when the bird is backlit high in the sky. Some birds overwinter here, but more are migrants that spend the summer months in Sonoma County, often arriving as early as late February and staying through mid-October. Nests in many parts of the county, using abandoned woodpecker holes or cavities in old and decaying trees. Also uses nest boxes,......" http://www.colintalcroft.com/Sonoma_County_Bird_Watching_Spots/Tree_swallow.html