Our swallows have fledged! It happened this morning about 7.30 when I suddenly noticed lots of them flying around. Over the past few days the adults have been feeding at a prodigious rate going in and out of the pig cott 'like a fiddler's elbow'. The results of all their hard work are three or four strong flyers - I am unsure of the number because they're ducking and diving out there at such a high speed and it's all a bit of a blur.
It's still early enough for the parents to have another brood whilst these youngsters get their bearings. Over the next few weeks they will fly over the area and 'map' it into their brains. It will then be stamped on their subconscious and it will mean they will return here next year if they survive the 6000 mile round trip to Africa. They are my favourite bird bar none precisely because of this amazing ability.
Claire Brewster is a paper artist who uses maps in her work. I thought it appropriate to choose one of the swallow to celebrate the fact they are now 'on the wing'. Have a look at the rest of her work and scan the skies around you for young swallows. Their forked tails are not as long as their parents and their little bibs are not yet very rusty red but they will be out there!
1 comment:
Beautiful, a lovely shape and an ingenius use of maps. We have Swifts flying around our garden in Cheltenham and if we look very carefully at dusk a little bat. Thanks for the reminder to watch out for these things.XX
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