This is actually a bit of a photo manipulation, to be honest. At any rate, the same weekend where we saw a storm knock out our electricity followed by a spectacular sunset, we found ourselves graced with front-row seats for a wonderful form of ballet. As the sun was dropping low on the horizon we noticed shadows flitting past the windows. Looking closer, what we saw was a swarm of gnats concentrating in a shaft of sunlight that swept through our front and side yard. Swallows and Dragonflies were gathered, and swept repeatedly through the cloud, often darting past us close enough to touch! We sat on the front steps for over an hour and they never let up. Finally I couldn't stand it and grabbed my camera, aimed at the main concentration of the birds and shot frames as fast as I could manage it. This is a composite of 4 different shots, fairly closely showing just how many birds there were swooping and diving through the yard. As cars drove by the'd drift back, but quickly returned to their feast until the sun was too low and the bugs moved on. If you look closely you'll see that nearly all of these birds are between the camera and the house next door, and most are very low. Remember: swallows are not big birds, so some of these were amazingly close to us as I took the picture. I certainly enjoyed the show, and have always felt a strong affinity for swallows. Perhaps not like a totem, but maybe a kinship kind of thing. Thanks for taking a look!