These photos were taken along the road across from the Boylston Elementary School on Sewall Street. The barn across the street from the school is home to a thriving colony of Barn Swallows, in spite of the owl decoy that hangs in the entry.
The first time I noticed this site, while conductin a survey for the Massachusetts Breeding Bird Atlas 2 (BBA2), 50 or more Barn Swallows were continually moving in and out of the barn and hunting in the field in front of the school. That day as I stood next to my car, the birds flew past me continually, at waste level and within arms reach, to hunt insects in the field near the ground, seemingly ignoring my presence. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera which was out for repair. This time, I had my camera and the sawllows were present but were not working the field. Instead they were much higher in the sky and working bugs over far away tree tops.
This time I was fortunate to meet the home owner who let me into the barn for a few shots, while asking how I could possibly take pictures in the dark. I replied that my camera worked well in low light conditions. After a few minutes he said he had to go and asked if I could give him a couple of pictures. I of course agreed. Hopefully he'll appreciate the results.
