Along Highway 67 going from Jacob Lake to the Grand Canyon North Rim, it is dotted with big expansive meadows. Some depressions in the meadows hold bits of water and bugs attracted to it, so to find a swarm of violet-green swallows all circling and swooping in and out catching bugs and getting drinks in such a concentrated area, I knew I might have a chance to actually catch one or two in air doing their thing. Here is a male diving down in towards the water before skimming it for a drink.

These aerial insectivores perform acrobatic stunts over lakes and streams high in the sky in search of flying insects. Violet-green Swallows can look dark at first, but their true colors come to life when sunlight illuminates their metallic green backs and iridescent purple rumps. They are a common sight in the West in spring and summer, but they vanish to Mexico and Central America for the winter