Summer Swallows

Summer Swallows - Cameos of Bird Life #13

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Swallows were everywhere, over the house, and over the meadows; to and fro, to and fro; rebuilding their nests tucked under the rafters of the disused barn across the way ...

returning swallows
... flutter  in-and-out 
the broken window

Midsummer has come and gone, the pink and white petals of June roses fallen by the wayside, replaced by blackberry blossom and the yellow tubes of honeysuckle. Hay bales lie scattered around the field; the scent of new-mown hay lingering. Hawkweeds, thistle, Foxglove, Meadowsweet and Willowherb colour the headlands.

swallow swoop
between the bales ...
distant thunder

So here we are nearing the end of July, their fledglings flown, the swallow are already gathering on the roofs and nearby telegraph wires. Summer is almost over.

But for now a long cold drink, a good book and some great music, while listening to the swallows twittering in the background. Take your time it’s quite a long piece ...

Out of Africa by John Barry

A musical whim that came to me while drafting the text. But unlike the author of the book, Karen Blixen in real life, the swallows return year after year.

Artist Credit

The header image is of a linocut-print ‘Thistledown Swallows’ by Niki Bowers.

Niki studied at Great Yarmouth College of Art, followed by a BA(Hons) degree at Canterbury College of Art. As a graphic designer, she worked for design consultancies across the UK before returning to Norfolk to pursue a freelance career and later turning to printmaking.

Her limited edition linocut prints reflect the landscape and wildlife of rural Norfolk, with distinctive trees, hedgerows, wide skies and often feature swirling flocks of wild birds.

Audio Citation

The recording by Bodo Sonnenburg, is used here under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs4.0 license. This and many more can be found at - Xeno-Canto a website dedicated to sharing bird sounds from all over the world.