Yesterday afternoon was very wet and while photographing Grey-headed Lapwing at Koga, Fukuoka, we observed dozens of Barn Swallow flying among the flowering clover and other seeding grasses.
At first I was mystified by this behaviour, but photographs confirmed our suspicions that the birds were feeding on insects.
The heavy rain must have prevented insects from flying around and thus be taken in mid-air as per usual Barn Swallow hunting techniques, so the birds had to adapt to snatching prey from the tops of vegetation.
It was a great spectacle to watch, and I managed a nice sequence of shots with the 1D-X in the dull conditions.
John Wright
John Wright is an Australian wildlife photographer and bird guide based in Kyushu, Japan. John became seriously engaged in nature photography while living in Japan and then Thailand. He returned to Japan in 2008 and has since concentrated on wildlife photography, especially birds. John visits Southeast Asia and Australia regularly, but usually travels within the Japanese archipelago, where he also guides visiting birders and wildlife photography enthusiasts.
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