Red-rumped Swallow, Grimsbury Reservoir, 4-11th May 2019

Red-rumped Swallow, Grimsbury Reservoir, 4th May 2019

Having got back to county tick (up to #230 now) the Red-rumped Swallow the evening before, we had decided that if it was refound on the Saturday morning we'd go back to Grimsbury and have a go at getting some better views and photos in the forecast better weather. The positive news that we, and other local birders had wanted, came through as we were doing the weekly provision run so that chore quickly became more like the supermarket sweep! We made it to Banbury by 09:00 and joined familiar faces lined up at the side of the reservoir. The Red-rumped Swallow was showing really well this time feeding low over the water at times just 20-30 yards away. Plus it was a sunny morning so the light was good and I had my chance to get some decent images for posterity. On the minus side it was very breezy and the Swallow, in keeping with its more common relatives moved very swiftly (pun intended) over the water. Staying on it to get photos would be tricky but I relished the challenge!

At first I concentrated on studying the bird, after securing a couple of quick record shots of course, and got myself acquainted with its flight path. It was interesting that, despite having the whole of the reservoir to feed over, the Red-rumped Swallow chose to concentrate almost entirely on the southern-most end by the sailing club and pontoons. Lucky for us that it did because we had such good views in complete contrast to the night before. The Red-rumped Swallow was relatively easy to pick up and follow amongst the multitude of Barn Swallows and House Martins owing to the bright rusty rump and face, brownish wings and a more level and less erratic flight.

Now that I had my eye in I concentrated harder in obtaining some better flight shots, not that there was any other options! As previously mentioned getting decent images wasn't very easy at all owing to the breeze and the bird being very fast but I took plenty anyway. 

We chatted to our fellow Oxon birders present all, most of whom were suffering the same trials and tribulations in trying to capture the Red-rumped Swallow "on film". Occasionally the bird would fly up higher above the reservoir but always returned to feeding close to the waters surface.

A couple of Swifts flew past above the reservoir too and I took a few snaps of them, the most recent addition to the Old Caley year list (#206). I love Swifts and will be trying hard to get some good photos of them in the coming few weeks but for now I was preoccupied by the Red-rumped Swallow.

Swift

We all lost the Swallow for a while and thought maybe it had gone but then someone spotted it flying almost along the apron of the reservoir on the opposite side. We scurried around into position but now faced different problems. The sun was now shining directly into our faces and, because the Red-rumped was so close in, the perimeter fence was now in the way! In order to see the bird we had to look through the chain link, no problem in seeing it through the bins, hardly necessary now since it was right in front of us, but that damned fence created serious difficulty in both focussing and tracking it with the camera. I had one of those 15 minutes where I managed to forget a lot of what I know about photography, which isn't much I admit, and took blurry shot after blurry shot! What I should have done was switch to manual focus of course.

The Red-rumped Swallow rose up above the water once more and drifted out over the adjacent cattle field, the day was warming up and flies must have been getting more airborne. Against the sky staying on the bird also presented a different conundrum but I soon coped with the different underside views. From underneath it appeared different from the accompanying Barn Swallows by having an entirely dark under tail. The tail was also a subtly different shape, reminding me of a scarab beetles pincers, and the wings were also rounder and blunter at the tips. The Red-rumped made a swoop towards us and I fired off a whole volley of frames.

More and more birders were arriving as the morning progressed but shortly after at about 10:30 the Swallow along with most of the hirundines just vanished! We waited for another 30 minutes or so and then departed ourselves. The Swallow reappeared later that evening. It then settled into a pattern whereby it would be seen early morning, would disappear during the heat of the day and then return to the reservoir in the late afternoon or early evening. 

I wanted more so we made a 3rd visit to Grimsbury on Wednesday 8th May after work. Another sunny day and since I knew that the Red-rumped Swallow wouldn't be back until the air had cooled a bit we left going until after 19:00. I was hoping that the Swallow would spend some time perched upon the perimeter fence so that I could get a shot of it resting but in the hour or so that we were on site the bird was only seen feeding actively over the adjacent cattle field as it had done so later on Saturday. This meant viewing into strong sunshine which presented its own difficulties and only as the light levels dipped did the Swallow fly over the reservoir allowing a few better shots.

After not being seen on Thursday morning the Red-rumped Swallow reappeared in the evening so I made plans to go in early on Friday and try once again for that "sat on the fence" shot, I was working locally so could nip in for an hour or so. Early Friday morning was foggy which might just produce the promising conditions for the hirundine flock to remain less active. I arrived at work and saw a message, and a fantastic photo, from my friend Kyle that the Swallow was indeed perched on the fence. This was it, I was in and likely to get the photos that I craved. Then, and only then, did I realise that I'd forgotten my camera and it was still sat on the table at home! Bugger!!!

Courtesy of Kyle Smith

After another weekly shopping chore Mrs Caley and I returned again to Grimsbury on Saturday morning but it was once more a lovely and sunny start to the day so I wasn't hopeful of finding the Swallow perched on the wires. I found the bird easily enough flying around in the same general area as when we first saw it over a week ago but despite a few of its more common cousins going to the fence for a rest it didn't join them. The whole hirundine flock departed around 08:30 and the Red-rumped Swallow wasn't seen again. So I never got my perched shot but what a great bird to have in our county! Well done to JFT for finding it on that wet and miserable Friday morning the week before.