Like three noisy teenagers who had somehow mistakenly arrived early for a party and were self-consciously standing in the middle of the empty room talking in too loud voices …. the first swallows (hirondelles) arrived at La Basse Cour.
On Tuesday morning I walked round the corner of the house and glanced up at the urgent twittering from the power line and saw three swallows. I did a real cartoon like double-take as I took two more steps and then swivelled my head to check that I had really seen them - 15th March and the first swallows had arrived, could that be right? They were noisily chattering to each other and flying round the house and barn roof refuelling on the insects, fifteen minutes later and they had gone – I have no idea if they were heading further north for the UK or back towards the coast to rest up before moving on.
If anyone can find any data on first arrival dates for swallows in the UK or France I’d like to see that (google something like hirondelles date d’arrivée France).
We often accept what happens in nature without thinking about it too much and we lose our sense of wonder in how things happen. Consider this however; swallows are currently wintering in Namibia and Botswana where Barbara is, she’s previously commented on them in her blog and emails. She will take 24 hours to fly from Namibia to France by jet when she returns; the swallows covered that vast distance by themselves under their own power.
The trio that stopped off at La Basse Cour may just have started their trip in Katima and could possibly finish it with any of my followers – in Lewes, Paris, Hook, Stowmarket, Southampton or Newcastle. Well … possibly not Newcastle, the Basse Cour three may be brave and intrepid but I doubt they’re daft and they’ll want a bit more warmth ;o)
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