A barnswallow returning to its nest to feed its chicks is caught in mid-flight just as it is about to arrive to its nest where its chicks and the second parent bird are waiting. On its way to the nest the bird passed through a laser bean that activated a 35mm camera which in turn fired a 1/10,000 second duration electronic flash. The short duration flash accounts for the fact the bird's wingtips are quite sharp in spite of the speed at which they were moving. The synchronizer responded to the interruption of the light beam by the bird as it approached its nest.