"True hope is swift, and flies with swallow's wings."
-- William Shakespeare
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| Tree Swallow 4-22-14 |
"The swallow is come!
The swallow is come!
O, fair are the seasons, and light
Are the days that she brings,
With her dusky wings,
And her bosom snowy white!"
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hyperion
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| Pair of Tree Swallows 4-22-14 |
"Off we go into the wild blue yonder,
Climbing high into the sun."
-- "Off We Go Into The Wild Blue Yonder"
(The Air Force Song)
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| Tree Swallow at rest on wire 4-22-14 |
Tree Swallows are like the tiny jet fighters of the bird world, Nature's Air Force -- deft little aerialists with streamlined, pointed, steely blue wings on which they perform quicker than quick acrobatic twists and turns.
There are a couple of nearby marshes and meadows that I like to visit in the summertime just so I can watch the Tree Swallows dip and dive and swoop and soar. It's like an air show in miniature.
To me, Tree Swallows look like they're flying just because they can, for nothing but the sheer fun and rapturous freedom of it. I know these quick, agile little fliers are up there chasing after insects. But to me, the flight of Tree Swallows looks nothing like work.
It looks like pure joy.
It seems like they never come in for a landing. But they do. They will stop flying from time to time. But be quick about it if you want to snap a picture, because they don't rest long before launching back out into the wild blue yonder.
And they have no qualms about buzz-bombing you if you get too close to their homes.
Note to self: buy a longer telephoto lens.
I spent quite a while yesterday afternoon watching the Tree Swallows perform their stunts and maneuvers in a private aerial show just for me, their audience of one.
(It's a good thing they perform for free, because I left my wallet at home.)
If you want to learn about these amazing little birds, click here!
