I have never gotten one of these before and its flight speeds are the same as the other swallows.
A real speed merchant and very difficult to get him on camera, as swallows have very erratic flight patterns. They can change direction in an instant and I thank my self imposed training on dragonflies that enabled me to get this one in flight on camera. I think that you can imagine how happy I was to get this unexpected gift.
Okay, enough talk and come to see this little wonder today.
The White-throated Swallows (Hirundo albigularis) winter in Angola and Zimbabwe and they start arriving in South Africa late July to stay here for our summer, until they leave again in April. They build a bowl shaped mud nest normally over water and this one had a nest under one of the wooden walkways here that stretches over the water.
There were also other birds here, such as one of my favorite Malachite Sunbirds below (Nectarinia famosa), but I concentrated on the swallow.
Amazingly, if the babies fall out of the nest into the water, they can swim out from below the platform. They do not drown!
And finally, I just had to show you another peep at the Malachite below.
Information of the swallow mentioned by me here-Source
I got so excited when I saw the strange swallow as I have posted a few other breeds of swallows before over the years, but never this one. The giveaway for me was that there were no lateral brown stripes on his chest, as his chest was all white. A complete black breast band also distinguished the swallow as a different breed.
So there you have it, my first White-throated swallow and it is indeed a real little beauty.
I hope that you have enjoyed this new one and the photos.
And That's All Friends.
Photos by Zac Smith-All Rights Reserved.
Camera: Canon Powershot SX70HS Bridge camera.
