Barn Swallows - Barn Swallows migration display

Barn Swallows Migration Display

By Risto Jäntti

Early yesterday morning I was standing on the front door stairs to see if there were Barn Swallows in the yard. There was a flock of about 20 Barn Swallows flying quite high over the yard and then they disappeared. I already thought those were our swallows and now they had left for the south. I went to the barn and saw there still chicks sitting on roof beams, meaning the Barn Swallows over the yard were from elsewhere. Later that Sunday, completely out of the blue, another flock of migrating Barn Swallows, over 100 birds, appeared over the yard. These Barn Swallows were in no hurry, they stayed for the whole day in the yard. Mostly they flew around over the yard and between the house and the cow house. Every now and then they landed on the roofs to rest. It was such an unbelievable sight and I enjoyed every moment of it. The yard was teeming with Barn Swallows, most of them fledgling heading south for the first time in their life. In my mind I was playing with the romantic thought that maybe many of them were our swallows that had come to say goodbye to us before leaving.

Today there was no sign of those swallows anywhere, they had continued their flight south, but the show they gave is a display that will never be forgotten.

There are now only 4 Barn Swallow chicks and their parents left and it is only a matter of days when also they will be gone on their journey South.

Regards

Risto