Outdoor Hour Challenge this month features
Birds
This past week we looked at the swallows flying over our farm dam. They flitted down, quickly skimming over the surface of the water and scooping up tiny insects, and then flying up to join the flock. 
I tried to watch just one swallow. He must have made at least 5 catches before I lost him in the flock. They fly in seeming random circles, up, around and then down to the water. Such simple freedom!
I suggested that Miss.L and I find the swallow’s nests. But we were disappointed.
Several nests were old and broken.
We could see the grass and feather lining inside this broken nest. There was not one active swallow nest under any eave or in any shed or storeroom.
We wondered why.
They must be nesting somewhere … but where?
We found evidence of new starts on nests under an eave, but for some reason, the swallows left to try somewhere else.
Our nearest neighbor is over 700m away. Perhaps they are nesting there?
Our bird nature walk has turned us into detectives.
Who knows what we’ll find.
Back home we researched the swallows on Google and we enjoyed Anna Botsford Comstock’s description in The Handbook of Nature Study of the different swallows ~
“The barn swallow has a distinctively tailor-made appearance; its red-brown vest and iridescent blue coat, with deeply forked “coat tails” give it an elegance of style which no other bird, not even the chic cedar waxwing, can emulate.” (page 111)
Lovely!
Blessings,
I will share this post with the Outdoor Hour Challenge Carnival.
Thanks Nadene,
Awesome stuff, God’s creatures! Reminds me how precious we are for Him.
Nadene, I wrote to you about my grandson remember. We are doing well, working hard every day.
I actually am creative and am compiling some awesome fun games for writing, spelling and writing sentences. As soon as I have some on my computer, I will post some to you. He enjoys it so much!
He developed a little song that reminds him that the door to the past is closed and that he is flying, never looking back again!
I am busy planning a blog to post all my practicals ons for other to use too. It will be Biblical inspired, so I believe God has a plan with a granny like me.
Regards and Jesus love.
Helga
This was a treat to read! Thanks so much for sharing your swallows and your nest investigation with the OHC Carnival.
Really enjoyed your entry, thank you for sharing.