Monday, August 23, 2010

Swallows

Took this picture of an adult swallow leaving after feeding its young. Could be the male or female. According to Wikipedia: Overall the contribution of male swallows towards parental care is the highest of any passerine bird.

Will these young be developed enough to sucessfully migrate in autumn?
Nice to have swallows nesting under the eaves (This is not our house) but it does have some drawbacks. They are obviously very careful about not fouling their nest so you shouldn't stand directly below the nest for too long. Look at the mess on the badly positioned window sill. Similar stuff on the ground. Good fertiliser for the garden perhaps!

This by poet Osip Mandelstam from this page.

We have bound swallows
into battle legions - and we,

we cannot see the sun: nature’s boughs

are living, twittering, moving, totally:
through the nets –the thick twilight - now

we cannot see the sun, and Earth floats free.

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