On the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow

A late April cold snap, complete with pushy wind out of the north and an overcast, dreary morning. I didn't think there would be many birds on the Greenway to see given the conditions (I wasn't sure I wanted to be out there long myself), but as I've found when I make assumptions about nature, I was mistaken.

All the usual suspects were out and about: red-winged blackbirds, Eastern meadowlarks, cardinals, Canada geese, mourning doves. None seemed fazed by the strong wind that made my eyes water and drove my hands into the pockets of my too-think spring jacket. Occasionally a grackle would appear to stall out in midair flying into the wind, but somehow they found a little extra oomph, or a lull in the wind allowed them to keep moving.

At the wetlands, the water  was choppy and leaden gray, the surface sprinkled with the remains of leaves jutting up in the shallows. The near shore was empty save for the antics of a couple dozen swallows.

They kept low to the surface of the water, with their narrow, pointed wings maneuvering deftly to snatch invisible insects from the air. They would spend a minute or two flying into the wind, barely moving forward and sometimes hovering against the gusts as they darted and juked to glean their prey from midair, then wheel around to fly back several yards with the wind only to turn around and repeat the process.

They were mostly tree swallows, with their snowy white bellies and nearly-black backs (there was not enough light to show the brilliant blue iridescence that lurked in their feathers). I caught sight of a single barn swallow, with its unmistakable long forked tail and rusty belly.

It was a pleasant surprise to get such a close glimpse into their habits; so often they are moving too quickly and too high overhead to get a good long look at them (much less decent photos). So I suspect I should be thankful to that cold, pushy wind for driving them down to my level and slowing their movement to allow observation more my speed (that is, slow).