Bird Thursday

Today, I give you...birds.  Swans and herons to be specific.  Grey herons to be even more specific.  The swan on the other hand is your standard swan.  If they have a more specific name, I am unaware of it.
Both of these birds were found on the Lagan River in Belfast.  The swan got very close and very vocal.  The heron stayed far away, barely moving...

Now it's Spring

It's official.  It's Spring.  I was dive bombed by Tree Swallows today.  This means that Tree Swallows have finally returned to the area...which for me is like seeing a Red-Breasted Robin.  These are high on my list of favorite birds, what with their crazy air acrobatics and angel like under-wings.  Getting within a few feet of their nests will cause them to tweet with anger as well as dive bomb you with what seems to be fearlessness.  Hold your ground and you will see that they aren't as brave as they appear...they veer off quite quickly.
Today was the first day that I got to see some of these cute little creatures.  As my wife and I were standing there watching them, we got an extra treat, a beautiful Bald Eagle was riding the thermals to a pretty impressive altitude.  Sadly, my 50mm lens did not do the eagle justice.  So today I only have one bird to show you...

Fearless Tree Swallow

These birds are known to fight each other for feathers that are falling through the air.  It is unknown why they do this, though surmised that at breeding time it is for building the nest, while at other times it is for nothing more than sport.