I don’t think I’ve ever taken a good picture out of a viewing blind, but I’ve taken some nice ones inside them. The old blind at Ridgefield was a fantastic place to watch barn swallows in the spring, as over a dozen parents would build nests in or outside the blind, and the nearby trees provided good perching spots. The new blind, however, must not be to their liking as there are no more nests.
This blind was at Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge just to the south of Salem, Oregon, where a single barn swallow nest was inside the blind. There was plenty of room for me to hang out on the opposite side of the blind and watch the swallows swoop in to feed the nestlings.
The amount of energy it takes parents to feed their hungry young is astounding. These three birds have grown from hatchlings and are almost ready to fledge. In between feedings, they would prepare for their eventual first flight by standing on the edge of the nest and flapping their wings rapidly, often bumping into the others in the tight confines. But the moment one of the parents flew into the blind, they’d sit back down with mouths open wide, their bright orange mouths a sudden contrast to what had been just drab browns and blues.
