Fishing tree swallow

The house was quiet early, so I decided to get outside while the gettin' was good. Overnight, by the millpond, we clearly had lots of visitors, for the power and phone lines were wall-to-wall tree swallows. The birds hadn't been there yesterday. As I approached, most of them stayed put, but at least a few joined a throng that worked the duckweed-covered water which must have been alive with tiny bugs. Each swallow would come in low and, maybe a inch above the surface, the bird would open its beak to snag something edible. Occasionally the avian "angler" would even make a splash, as it grabbed an insect from the water. I suppose if there were large enough bass in the pond, a swallow would sometimes find itself on the piscine menu. Today, however, the birds fished carefree. With any luck, they'll soon be fat enough to undertake the journey south.