Heroes of summer put on top show
REMEMBER the end of the Life of Brian, when we all sang ‘Always look on the bright side of life’?
That’s a lovely way of looking at life and generally when we are looking for wildlife there is always something that will make you smile.
The best example is one of those overcast days we get sometimes in summer, when the clouds seem to make the whole place a little claustrophobic.
No blue is visible and that low-lying cloud often brings a bit of drizzle but it also brings those annoying tiny insects much lower.
And that means our heroes fly in to save us, it’s swallow-swoop time.
Walking down the tree-lined avenue behind our house is brilliant.
Swallows dart in and out of the trees as they stuff themselves with their food, which is squashed between clouds and the meadows.
Watch them darting around taking prey on the wing is the best aerobatic display you will ever witness.
Of course, these beautiful birds are on the wing for most of summer even after a long flight from Africa.
They do rest on telegraph wires and, as summer stretches on, there will be a longer line of swallows as the flight back gets closer.
They are obviously saving their energy before flying thousands of miles to a warm winter.
Then there are their charming nests in your porch. ]
The parents are so passionate about grabbing food and feeding the four or five mouths, you can just see them over the edge of that muddy cradle.
It fills my heart with joy to watch those wonderful parents so dedicated to those fledglings.
The swallow has a dark blue, glossy back with a white chest.
It has a dark, red forehead and throat and a black band across its chest.
It can be distinguished from its cousins the swifts and martins by its long, forked tail.
Of course, because of its low-flying behaviour when it is overcast, in the old days, people would suggest that high-flying swallows meant the weather would be fine.
Now we know they are looking for dinner and won’t replace your BBC Weather App.
And, because their arrival has always meant the beginning of spring, they were seen as good luck. In fact, a swallow nesting in your house or farm generally meant good luck and good health.
Perhaps, those people who knock nests down from their eaves now realise that their summer colds and bad luck at the bookies might just be related to their grumpiness over swallow nests.
Some people have no soul and would just not appreciate our amazing summer visitors as they put on the best show you will see this summer.
FOR more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820 728 or go to cheshire wildlifetrust.org.uk.