MOREOVER. . .

Perfectly dressed for the occasion.
Greg Lasley © 1999

Iridescent blue-black
describes PM plumage,

while the dress of the BS goes more to a rough mix of shiny black topside, with a rusty neck, going to a dirty white belly.

Both arrive early in the year;
mid-February for the PMs
and early March for the BS.

BUT. . .

the PMs have one brood and they're outtahere by August and headed back to Brazil -- even while the BSs are into feeding their second brood (all the better to catch more flies!) before heading South.

That's a baby's head...peaking out under Mom!
Lewis Smith © 1999

Barnswallows are really into the work ethic. Millions of trips to collect mud/caliche for the nest and bugs for the kid's dinner.

Contact!
Lewis Smith © 1999

All while the Purple Martins are sitting on the telephone line gossiping and watching.

Further, you won't catch a PM flapping all the time.
They're into soaring between strokes.

       

The BS is even short-changed when it comes to societies of admirers and websites. No organization dedicated to the BS of course; but definitely not so for the Regal PM.

No website found that's dedicated solely to the BS either,
but here are a few that you may enjoy:

» Chipper Woods Bird Observatory

» Photographing Barnswallows in Flight

By
Lewis Smith

All photographs by
Lewis Smith
and
Greg Lasley

(See Greg's wonderful Bunting and Hummingbird photos here, too.)

Like this article?
Don't miss THE LONGHORN by Lewis Smith.

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