[wisb] Last Barn Swallow Fledgling Returns
- From: Swanson <elaineseverin@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: wisbirdnet <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:12:41 -0700 (PDT)
When our swallows leave, the space where they spent the summer is suddenly much
quieter. It was 5 days ago that I watched the final barn swallow fledgling
exit the barn - the last of 3 who had been in and out of their nest before
taking flight for good. Only a few adults remained, and by afternoon there was
no sign of any of them. Early this morning I entered the quiet barn and heard
a solitary chirp. I knew the sound instantly. I had to glance around to find
the fledgling - surely the same one that was still in the barn with 2 others a
week ago. Where's your mom and dad I asked out loud. Where's your family? He
left his beam perch and showed me how well he could fly back and forth -
then banged into a south-facing window and fluttered around by the cob webs. I
talked to him calmly, and he slowly turned away from the glass. I went outside
looking and hoping to see his relatives. Of course there was no one - the
swallows had
left - 5 days ago. But I kept searching, walking up to the top of the
hill which offered a distant view. It also brought the full force of today's
strong winds. How could one little fledgling possibly make a journey of
thousands of miles - alone? Had he learned how to feed and bathe on the wing
yet? I returned to the barn to check on him. He was gone. Five days had
passed since he was here. How far had he flown with his parents before getting
lost? Maybe he spent the night in his familiar barn. I don't want to know the
statistics on how many swallows never reach their winter destination - how few
survive the storms, heavy rain, violent winds. And if you're a fledgling
flying alone? This is what happens when you give away your heart.
Elaine Swanson
Pickett
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