I didn't see the scout swallows this year so their arrival wasn't expected. They're not quite as reliable as the miracle swallows are but they're close. Every year they're back at the same time give or take a few days. These are North American swallows. They've been in Costa Rica or Panama all winter.
I don't know exactly what it is about the swallows. Sure their return is as sure a sign of Spring as the peepers. And they eat bugs. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of bugs. But it's more than that. Their flying skills are just amazing and they always strike me as having fun. They'll fly the length of the barn and come at you right between the eyes. At the last instant they'll cut left or right. They're so close you can see the little hairs around their nostrils. You get used to it and after a couple of days you don't even duck anymore.
And you should see them dive bomb the cats!
In a good year we've lost count of the chicks at around a hundred.
And in a bad year? We had that cold wet summer a few years ago, I don't know if any of the chicks survived. That was rather sad. Those birds worked their butts off and there just weren't enough bugs to feed the chicks.
The day the chicks learn to fly is pretty funny stuff. They're obviously clueless and they're scared to death and sometimes it takes a day or two to persuade them to take the leap.
But when they get started there's no stopping them and they make it look like tons of fun!
We call it Flight School.
How wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThe swallows arrival is something special. It's right up there with things like the first ear of local corn of the season.
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