Something's missing
I realized this morning that I haven't seen or heard the swallows in over a week. I noticed on Saturday morning, as I enjoyed my cappucino under the plane trees at the Café Eberhard, that there were none in view, but it didn't register until today that there are no swallows anywhere in or above the city. They've gone back to Africa, and I guess that they must have begun migrating around July 22.
Funny how little one knows (I know) about the world around us. I have no real idea whether July 22 is early, late or right-on-time for swallows to be migrating, but it seems to me that this is very early, a very short summer season. Remind me to pay attention in early Spring, to note when they return.
[Updated] The swallows returned on 2. May 2006 after an absence of about 280 days.
[Updated again] The swallows left on 27. July 2006, so I guess that this is not altogether improbable as a departure date. But I still think that they were around much later during my childhood.
posted by Udge @ 11:13
3 Comments:
One of my greatest joys is watching birds. I don't try to keep track of what type of bird they are and really had to rack my brain to remember what swallows look like. Birds make me smile when I see them flying or hopping around on their little bird legs. Simple pleasures are the best in life.
It's too bad that the swallows are gone now. Are there birds that stay the winter there?
Global warming seems to be affecting everything else. Maybe the swallows got tired of the warm weather here!
I'm starting to think the birds don't know when to go or not either. Canadian geese are seen in July, October, and sometimes Febuary, looking like a gang of lost hooligans. They overpopulate Toronto island when there is snow all around and you know they must be confused. Barn swallows are the only birds I know of that leave and return to the exact same nest every year. But I agree with Noorster, this summer IS weird and it most likely has something to do with what Fred mentioned. It is seemingly hot and dry pretty much all around.
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