"Please Respect"

One of the delights of my recent visits to the Risdon Brook Park, are the many Welcome Swallows hawking along the shores and banks surrounding the dam. This popular reserve has a 4 kilometre track running around the perimeter and is in frequent use by walkers, joggers and bikers (and the odd birder!). Probably as a result of this, many of the birds are more easily approached. It also has the big plus of being barred to dogs. The outcome of that is that you're likely to encounter the wildlife, and wallaby abound, but with luck you'll also encounter bandicoots and echidna, not to mention the sounds of many frogs in the shallower parts of the lake.
I've taken several shots of birds in juxtaposition to notices over the years, those of Silver Gulls being by far the most numerous. They unwittingly stand atop notices saying "no standing" or similar, but this is my first showing a Welcome Swallow, albeit a juvenile. I must confess that I spent some time attempting to photograph the swallows in flight, but to no avail. A complete flop. But I was pleased to find and photograph a Tree Martin (centre shot)--my third recent attempt. A few pairs have nested in a large shed at the Northern end of the lake. Why they've chosen the shed in preference to the apparently suitable trees nearby, only they can say, but it did make photographing them easier.. The image at lower left is of an adult Welcome Swallow. I suspect this bird is in moult prior to migrating back to the Mainland, as it looks a bit shabby. These swallows, many of them this year's progeny, take up position on rocks along the shoreline, in between insect chasing forays. My overall impression is that, here at least, there are substantially less youngsters than last year.