Work has been pretty slack of late and there is only so much tea and coffee you can drink. So with hot sunny weather, which is a rarity in itself in the UK, I decided a bit of photography was in order to improve my mood.

I have a multitude of birds living on my site which is great for someone like me. However I was frustrated by the fact that a bird I have never seen in the wild, a Tawny Owl, flew low right over my head and before I could lift my camera and focus it was gone. If that wasn't bad enough the same thing happened with a Green Woodpecker, that I did not even notice hanging on a tree till disturbed by me crashing through the woods, it took flight in haste..... Gone another miss

However all was not lost. There were a couple of my winged friends that were more relaxed when confronted by a lumbering human.

The above Swallow is a friend of mine, it has been trying to build a nest in my office and flies in and out if I leave the door open. There are two which i believe to be a breeding pair and they sit on this telephone line everyday.

I love swallows and I tried to catch them in flight which is a real challenge as they are so fast. Once again I tried and nearly nailed it. The pose was right but I just lost the top of the wing, soooooo close.