Monday was my red-letter day of spring. Monday the swallows returned.
There are two species of swallows that summer on our farm: pearly white-breasted birds that I've always called "Field Swallows" but have just learned via Google are actually "Tree Swallows," and their buff-breasted cousins the Barn Swallows. I am fond of the Tree Swallows. I love Barn Swallows.
These tiny birds fly thousands of miles to migrate each spring and fall. In October I saw them along the Amazon in Peru, to the eventual annoyance of one of our guides, Julio. We'd spend hours exploring tributaries by skiff, and whenever any of us (8 tourist per skiff) saw anything interesting, we'd point it out to Julio so he could identify it for us.
So. Me: Julio, Julio, what's that? (said with wild excitement, because I'm pretty sure I know)
Julio: That's a swallow.
Me, two minutes later: Julio, over there?
Julio: That is also a swallow.
Me, one minute later: Julio, Julio!
Julio: Swallow.
Me, yet again: Julio! Julio, look!
Julio: Swallows, Kim!
Me: HAHAHA
Barn Swallows return to specific laying sites year after year, often reusing old nests, which they make themselves out of mud. Our barn became a barn swallow nesting site the first year it was raised. There are small flat metal plates on top of each light bulb fixture (because you have to have covered light bulbs in barns, for fear of fire) that were apparently perfect bases for barn swallow nests. We have nests on each of 12 light bulbs. We have a couple of nests built right next to the light bulbs, and a few tucked into corners of the framing. In an average summer we'll have 8 active nests, each raising two clutches of 3-5 birds. That's four dozen more swallows every year. Swallows can eat a whopping 850 insects per day which keeps both flies and mosquitos to pretty low levels around our farm. Often when I'm riding in the summer, half a dozen swallows will fly circles around me, hunting the insects my horse kicks up from the grass.
Also, they're beautiful. They're graceful and endearing and the babies are fabulously grumpy.
The tree swallows always return to our farm first, followed a week or so later by the barn swallows. When they're flying, it's hard to distinguish the two except that barn swallows have a deeply forked tail, a sideways V. I saw some tree swallows about 10 days ago, to my intense delight. Monday when my daughter and I went into the barn a pair of swallows was flying in circles around one of the old nest. They flew out the back door when they saw us, and we hurried after--"Forked tails!" my daughter exclaimed, and hugged me. I don't think she likes the swallows quite as much as I do, but it's admittedly a high bar.
I spent the next few days telling everyone how the swallows had returned, and now I'm telling you. Some sad day in mid-August they'll all leave at once, with no warning and far earlier than I think they should. But for now it's swallow time, my favorite season of the year.
