outdoor photography

Cave Swallow There's at least one Cave Swallow that has been hanging out at Lake Apopka for at least the past three weeks. It looks like it's trying to build a nest under a bridge, which would be really cool, especially if there's a second around. And not too far away, at a bridge over Rte 50, there have been Cliff Swallows breeding there for at least the past few years.  Cave Swallow These two species look pretty similar, so I thought it would be fun to make a post highlighting how you can tell the two species apart, especially in flight. Now most Cliff Swallows in the U.S. have largely whitish foreheads. However occasionally you can find the "Mexican" race, which has a dark forehead, and It think the "Mexican" race looks a bit more like a Cave Swallow. But if you get a good look at the face, It think it's not too difficult to tell them apart. Cliff Swallow Cliff Swallows have much darker cheeks and throats, and so there's a...

Cave Swallow On the morning of April 28th, I drove the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive and found my first Cave Swallow for Orange County. In fact, it appears to be the first Cave Swallow reported on eBird in the county, though I'm quite certain others have seen them here. I almost missed this guy. It flew by me and I noticed the pale rump and squared tale. I thought it was going to be a Cliff Swallow until I got closer looks and saw those pale auriculars and throat. I'm pretty pumped! Cave Swallow