I have never seen a cliff swallow before, much less watching them build their nests.  It was just fascinating.  We also were extremely lucky that we arrived at fairly high tide.  This forced the swallows to gather the mud for their nests very close to shore.  I want to go back near sunset sometime soon to see the nests in the sun.  They are located under a bridge, and very late afternoon is the only time the sun will shine on them.

Cliff Swallows building their nests

The mud gathering was incredibly fascinating.  I need to make a video of it.  Their wings were beating at VERY high speed.  I presume this was to give them leverage to scoop up the mud. Cliff Swallows gathering mud for their nests

Cliff Swallows gathering mud for their nests

After scooping up the mud, they flew off to the nest.

Cliff Swallows gathering mud for their nests

To see more pictures from the day, click here: May 21, 2017