The amazing swallows
Swallows are by far my favorite type of bird. I love them all. Tree, bank, cliff, it doesn't matter what species. Just watching them fly with steep swoops, sharp climes and sudden turns is enough to make watching them worthwhile. My all-time favorite is definately the tree swallow. I have multiple pairs of tree swallows nesting on my property in nest boxes, and they are the funest birds ever. When I walk out to a nestbox, they fly right to me, barely four feet away at times, nearly hovering infront of you just as if they want a feather from me to line their nest. Not to mention that when you toss a feather in the air, they catch them before they hit the ground and drop and catch them over and over before they stuff it into their nest box. And I needn't even mention their beautiful iridescent blue back and wings with a pure white underside.
Probably the most common swallow in Ohio is the barn swallow:
Barn Swallow- Photo by Martin Mecnarowski
Next would be the tree swallow:
Tree Swallow- Photo by Junior Barnes
Less common, yet easily found along lakes and rivers is the bank swallow:
Bank Swallow- Photo by Kersti Nebelsiek on Flickr
Out west there are other swallow species, which can be quite common in some western states. One such species is the cliff swallow:
Cliff Swallow- Photo by Missvain on Flickr
Last but not least is the beautiful violet-green swallow:
Violet-Green Swallow- Photo by Alan Vernon