Cliff Swallows have returned in large numbers this Spring along the San Antonio River. They generally nest under the bridges. Cliff swallows can easily be confused with barn swallows, however, the shape of their tails easily distinguish the two species one from the other. The barn swallow's tail has a distinct fork shape, where the cliff swallow's tail is squared.
The swallows are fascinating birds to watch. They live in colonies, so there will almost always be a large number of them in an area at the same time catching insects in flight. These birds fly at a fairly fast speed and make sharp turns abruptly without slowing:
This set of photos is from my walk along the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River yesterday (Wednesday, April 10th).
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