Swallows on the Gloucester to Sharpness canal

After a bit of shopping to stock up on some Asian staple foods including tonight's supply of fresh tofu, I headed for a look for some swallows.  Last year I had spotted them nesting under the swingbridge at Parkend on the Gloucester to Sharpness canal and I wondered whether they had returned.

I parked by the bridge attendant's cabin and within a few moments I was rewarded with the familiar swooping motions of a group of swallows all around the bridge.  The weather was very overcast so conditions for photography weren't good, but I decided to try to capture them in flight.

The first shot I got however was of a swallow on a telephone wire which was a bit of a surprise as I thought they seldom come to rest.  For the rest of the time they led me a merry dance. I actually burst out laughing as they dive bombed where I was standing as if in rebuke for my impertinence at trying to catch a good picture of them in flight.  But I did love the whole time i stood there with them.

I like this image of two together with one singing in flight.  I'm not sure what the this means, or whether they have mated.  They were certainly going with food to a nest sited under the metal swing bridge, so I presume the first brood of eggs have hatched already.  I will definitely go back and spend more time there, hopefully with the sun shining so that I'm not relying on the high iso settings which have made most of today;'s pictures look awful.