Welcome Swallow

J'Amazen, Spikes2013, GingerNan and I had our first Friday photo shoot today for a long time and it was good to spend time together again. We visited the Travis Wetlands and were spoilt for choice with the variety of birds around and about.

I think my favourite was the Pied Stilt; so elegant and graceful, but looking so delicate, as though they'd snap in a gust of wind. However I'm posting an image of a Welcome Swallow because I've never seen them up close before. Such attractive wee birds! They were nesting in one of the hides that we visited.

Welcome swallows were first recorded as breeding in New Zealand in 1958, having self-introduced from Australia. They are now common in open country especially near water in lowland New Zealand. They were named ‘welcome swallows’ because they appeared in southern Australia as a herald of spring.