Yesterday morning I noticed a large group of swallows swirling above my head as I walked along the base of the bluffs by Lake Natoma. They were moving so fast I had trouble catching them with my camera — but this morning I cranked up my shutter speed and went back for another try. I was also surprised that they were popping in and out of what seemed like a tiny crack in the rock face, a spot I never would have noticed at all if the birds hadn’t been so active there. My best guess at an ID is that these are juvenile tree sparrows, although as always I’m happy to be corrected if wrong.

Green arrow showing the crack in the rocks where swallows are nesting