Standing in the centre of a large meadow with recently cut grass, I’m surrounded by about a dozen swallows, both adults and recently fledged young.

They are flying just above the sward, jinking this way and that at incredible speed and with astonishing agility.

This is the swallow’s domain, their special hunting niche just above grass or water. House martins fly in mid-air regions while swifts use the upper air, thus minimising competition between the species.

Only if the weather is dull and cool may they all fly low as insects then hug lower levels too.

At the edge of the meadow is a shallow flooded area, shimmering with fly activity as millions emerge from the stagnant water.

The swallows have latched onto this and skim above the pool, snapping up the bonanza lining up to take their turn.

My intention is to photograph a swallow in flight, but this is much easier said than done. It’s useless trying to follow a swallow with the camera as they don’t fly straight and level for more than a few seconds at a time.

So, I focus on a piece of grassland over which the birds are flying regularly, wait for one to zoom into the viewfinder and hope!

Most of my efforts prove negative but after much experimenting I achieve a small measure of success with the accompanying image of a male as he speeds just yards below me.