I’ve spent many an hour trying to capture the swifts that speed in large numbers through and over the streets of Pézenas in France at this time of year. Alas they are very fast and change direction abruptly, so mostly all I get is blur. But this week I noticed that they sometimes spend a moment in the corner formed by a building opposite.
{ 2 comments }
Alan White 06.26.22 at 2:41 pm
I’ve tried to catch them as well, and know how difficult it is. So good strategy and great shot.
jsrtheta 06.26.22 at 4:10 pm
A year ago I glanced out the window and saw a swoop of swifts circling, rising, and falling above the street, quite low. It was a complicated sight because some flew clockwise while others flew counterclockwise. None of them alit anywhere, none soared too high or too low. The movement was continuous, rhythmic. After a while, they vanished together. They didn’t return for the rest of the summer.
The other day I turned down my street, and there they were again, circling, darting, gliding at times, furiously pumping their wings to gain altitude and then gliding to descend. In time, they whirled one last time and left as before, some mission accomplished. I haven’t seen any of them since.
A singular breed.
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