18 Seconds Before Sunsetby
Joey LawrenceComment by mattvardy: saddens me, joey, but at the same time delights me from an artistic perspective.
from what i can tell its a barn swallow.
when i look at this i first think of human impact. not just because of the gravel in the foreground and the other various roadside elements, but because i know the behaviour of these birds..
at this time of year they aren't migrating (in Ontario), they're actually 'courting', nest-building, even feeding and raising they're young. but one thing is certain regardless - they're searching for food. swallows are notorious for their amazing aerial acrobatics, consuming air-born insects on-the-fly. one bird can catch and then hold as many as 30 mosquitoes in it's mouth at once; they have relatively enormous beaks and mouths for their size. in fact the "V" of their mouth line/jaw line reaches nearly right to their eye (as you can see), so their mouth really can OPEN WIDE.
barn swallows in particular have a habit of flying/swooping dangerously close to roadways and cars, and given the time of year and setting (roadside) i would have to guess that the bird died from collision with a car.
birds that die of hart attack.. or lung failure.. whatever.. don't lay themselves to rest at the side of a busy highway. at the very least, they would glide/descend or simply fall to the grasses or trees in desperation.
the bird isn't mangled and bloody, so it was probably only a small hit causing internal wing or body cavity damage.
after the fleming side of me quickly conjures all the literal interpretations.. the more artistic side of me sees and appreciates the connections you've made between the foreground and background. its a connection that sets a good image from a great one, and provides that extra UMPH to reach the top shelf. here, i think the dead bird infront and the flying birds behind combined share a great story and message. the circle of life.
composition makes sense and lighting, details and time of day are exceptional.
beautiful.
cheers my friend.
ps. i've seen a really sweet swallow shot with a similar feel to this. when i find it.. i'll share a link.
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