Blue Swallow, Hirundo atrocaerulea, Stahlschwalbe

I saw this metallic blue Beauty when we drove down the Nile
to our Lunch boat.

After Lunch I couldn’t resist and tried to get a shot.
This is the Best I could come up with.
Well, better than nothing.

I’s a Lifer for me and so, I’m most def. happy

The blue swallows are 18-25cm long and shimmer metallic blue
and have long outer tail feathers.
They are quick as lightning too.

Distribution is mainly in Africa.
It seems they don’t ‘live’ outside of Africa.

Classified Status: Decreasing recording to the 2010 IUCN Red List,
due to the limited range and the threat of habitat loss
The species is approaching extinction in South Africa and Swaziland,
largely as a result of commercial afforestation in areas that were previously grassland.

More Info

aegypten, birding, birds, birdwatching, blue swallow, cairo, egypt, fotografie, hirundinidae, hirundo atrocaerulea, in flight, kairo, nicoleb, nile, passeriformes, photography, stahlschwalbe, voegel, vogel, vogelbeobachtung

Birdwatch, Hirundinidae

Print article

This entry was posted by NicoleB on 2010-01-15 at 17:17:43 . Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0.

Related Posts
Trackbacks (0)
Comments (17)

Comment from: Dan
2010-01-15 @ 17:45:36

He LOOKS fast!...so stream-lined...

Recently (2010-01-14) Dan wrote Everything....... Check it out!
Comment from: Jouir la vie
2010-01-15 @ 19:20:50

Eine tolle Aufnahme, mal wieder eines Vögelchens den ich noch nie zuvor sah, auch der Name war mir bislang unbekannt...
Servus und so long
Kvelli

kürzlich (2010-01-14) Jouir la vie wrote Weit über alles erträglichem.... Check it out!
Comment from: Sparkling Red
2010-01-15 @ 19:42:24

I love birds and bugs with that metallic shimmer. I wish I had some natural shimmer.

Recently (2010-01-12) Sparkling Red wrote Bits. Check it out!
Comment from: Carver
2010-01-15 @ 20:35:41

You can tell from the shot that he's a fast bird. I like the shot so much and also the solar eclipse in the post before this one.

Recently (2010-01-15) Carver wrote Photohunters: Jiggly. Check it out!
Comment from: Fishing Guy
2010-01-15 @ 20:46:41

Nicole: Fast and small, what a hard combination for capturing a bird. I've had the same problems with Kingfishers.

Recently (2010-01-14) Fishing Guy wrote Sky Watch Friday Season #4 Episode #27. Check it out!
Comment from: jingle
2010-01-15 @ 21:11:41

amazing photo,
exceptional poem.

You Are Cool On everything!

Recently (2010-01-15) jingle wrote Money Is Not Everything!. Check it out!
Comment from: Brigitte
2010-01-16 @ 00:31:54

Ist dir doch gut gelungen das Bild. Einen Vogel zu erwischen ist nicht einfach, mir ist schon so mancher aus dem Bild geflogen

Liebe Grüsse
Brigitte

kürzlich (2010-01-14) Brigitte wrote Geburtstags-Stöckchen. Check it out!
Comment from: Vicki
2010-01-16 @ 05:34:54

Nice photo! It isn't easy to capture something zooming by that way, and you've got such a nice clear shot. I hate to think of these beautiful birds being endangered.

Recently (2010-01-15) Vicki wrote Nature Notes: Dreamtime. Check it out!
Comment from: ramblingwoods
2010-01-16 @ 05:38:24

You get the most wonderful flying shots. I've never seen a swallow of the type we get in the US in person, but I've seen photos. I am sad to read that yet another species is suffering due to logging and other efforts that take away trees. I was just thinking how exciting it would be to be having lunch on the Nile River..lucky girl you...Michelle

Recently (2010-01-15) ramblingwoods wrote Successful hunting tends to remove unhealthy and old songbirds, or young ones that have not grasped the skills necessary for survival. It’s part of natural selection that benefits songbird populations in the long term.~Rosemary Drisdelle. Check it out!
Comment from: NicoleB
2010-01-16 @ 05:43:58

Thanks, everyone - Danke

@Brigitte - mir auch, vor allem der hier
Ich hab irgendwann auf 'continuous shooting' gestellt und hab ihn beim ersten schuss erwischt
Glueck halt

@Vicki & Michelle

Reading more about the birds here, it really scares me how many of the ones I got, are on the endangered list

@Michelle - doesn't 'afforestation' mean that they are planting MORE trees, hence take away the living space of this species?
Comment from: Eileen
2010-01-17 @ 00:29:29

Cool looking swallow. They are fun to watch flying around, they are fast. Congrats on your lifer!

Recently (2010-01-13) Eileen wrote Cormorants. Check it out!
Comment from: Mick
2010-01-17 @ 10:14:49

A very nice photo. I find ALL swallows hard to catch with a good photo.

Recently (2010-01-16) Mick wrote Tawny Frogmouth. Check it out!
Comment from: Larry Jordan
2010-01-17 @ 16:46:47

First of all congratulations on your lifer Nicole! That would be a lifer for me too (obviously since I've never been to Africa).

I think this is a GREAT shot of the Blue Swallow! I have spent hours trying to get a good swallow photo so I know how difficult it is.

As far as the vulnerable listing is concerned: BirdLife International is the official Red List Authority for the IUCN for birds and they estimate 2,000 of these birds remaining with their population decreasing. You can see the full report here.

I'd say you a lucky person to not only get a photo of this bird but simply to see it!

Recently (2010-01-16) Larry Jordan wrote Peeps For Christmas On The Sacramento River. Check it out!
Comment from: Larry Jordan
2010-01-17 @ 16:47:27

I guess the link didn't go through so here it is:

http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=7127&m=0

Recently (2010-01-16) Larry Jordan wrote Peeps For Christmas On The Sacramento River. Check it out!
Comment from: NicoleB
2010-01-19 @ 07:47:04

Thanks everyone!

@Larry - thanks. Will add that link to my list.
Comment from: brian miller
2010-01-22 @ 00:46:17

love to watch the birds. nice capture!
Comment from: Gerardine Baugh
2010-01-22 @ 07:47:58

Such a blue, blue sky, to be flying in. wonderful picture!!
Gerardine Baugh
http://gerardinebaugh.wordpress.com/

Recently (2010-01-21) Gerardine Baugh wrote Slip, Sliding Away~ Or, Go The Way Of The Ice. Check it out!