Migration Fever - Barn Swallows by Carl Brenders.

 

"At Point Pelle, Ontario, one of Roger Tory Peterson's twelve 'hottest' birding spots, I had an extraordinary opportunity to observe the behavior of a group of barn swallows for hours. They were building their nests in a big tower that overlooked an especially nice swamp. As I climbed the tower stairs, I came very close to the barn swallows; they did not seem to be disturbed by the presence of humans.

 

"Crossing the rural Ontario landscape in springtime, I saw lots of old barns with swallows everywhere. Seeing these swallows, I was reminded of my youth when I would see these little birds gathering before migration. I imagined all the activity there would be in autumn when the Ontario barn swallows would teach their young to fly. Some of these swallows had a reddish brown breast; others had a much lighter colored breast. I chose to paint the lighter variety as they are similar to the European species." - Carl Brenders.

 

Print released in 1987.