Swallows ...

Returning on the ferry from Ireland on Wednesday, a steady stream of swallows passed us. I calculated that if they kept flying they could easily reach the English Channel by evening. Maybe four or so days to cross France and Spain with breaks to feed and then across to Africa and onward...
The young swallows in our barn, the second of two broods of five fledged on the 28th of August. They and their parents left this week and are probably also not far off crossing the straits of Gibraltar to face the perils of the Sahara and beyond. Its always a joyous moment when they arrive in the spring and a sad one when suddenly the sky is empty of them in the Autumn.