Home»All Albums & Groups»Kenya — January, 2015»Tsavo West — Hirundo smithii

~ We were accompanied by Kenya Wildlife Service military guard, Roselyne, armed with a rifle, who led us to a walkway going out over the surface of Mzima Springs...metal steps went into a small underwater viewing tank intended for observation of fish species in the clear springs water...the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II super telephoto lens wasn't suited for close range underwater photography through glass, although I enjoyed watching tilapia, barbs and carp swim by...I glanced out a small water surface-level porthole and saw a bird perched on a small stump, looking back at me...it was Hirundo smithii, Wire-tailed Swallow...the darkened tank being small and cumbersome to move about, it was necessary to place my back against the farthest wall to make these images of Hirundo smithii at water surface level, much closer than would typically ever be the case with such a small, active swallow