Iowa Photo: Dinnertime at the game

Jul. 15, 2021 6:00 am, Updated: Jul. 20, 2021 3:36 pm

I had moved to the first base side of the field while covering a baseball game when I heard frantic chirping. Looking at the inside of the shed roof, I realized there was a nest of baby birds, chirping as an adult barn swallow approached.

At least two adults were swooping over the fields nearby, gathering insects to feed their young, but they moved too fast in flight for me to photograph. It took some patience, awkwardly crouching on the ground with a 400 mm lens, and most of an inning, but the chirping gave me enough of a warning to motor-drive and successfully capture the adult’s fleeting return.

On reviewing photos later, in one image it appears the adult was eyeing me warily, for just a split second.

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A barn swallow arrives to feed nestlings in the rafters of a building next to the baseball field June 21 at Center Point-Urbana High School in Center Point. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

A barn swallow turns to leave after feeding nestlings June 21 in the rafters of a building next to the baseball field at Center Point-Urbana High School in Center Point. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)