Touching base with the birds. Swallow chicks roosting in the rafters. Fostering acrobats, having fun on the wire. The magic of predator-free shelter in the Summer of the Birds.
Ahh Pipp this is glorious writing, compulsive and beautiful, I shouldn't be sitting here reading, I should be dressing and preparing papaers for meetings - holiday over, back to work, I could cry - but I couldn't stop! Its so good to see a post from you! a thousand thanks for the mention... xx
We have no swallows, no swifts either... six consecutive years they haven't shown up, the land is barren, farmers don't care about swallows and swifts and insects, nor wild boar and badgers for that matter either - only their crops, they don't realise that the insects are necessary too and insects can't live on poison!
Bar the odd stray, the sky is empty of their sleek acrobatics, there are no flashes of sun glancing off their wings and tiny heads. I have shed tears for them, for their absence.
Even House Martens are few this year and I wonder what will be left in ten...?
I am so glad to hear good news re your book - you are amazing! I hope that means you'll be back here writing more often? Lots of love to you, I gotta dash... where the hell did eight weeks holiday go??? xxxx
Oh gosh have eight weeks gone already? No it can’t be.
Time for me has been nuts too. I am sad you have none of this high flying group. It is sad the farmers are not more involved in their protection. I do think we are lucky here. My husband is thinking of rigging up a second cable for next year!! I wonder if more would come to roost!!?
My book is out today but I am waiting ten days because interior pages go on show in another ten days so I thought I would wait until it is all running smoothly to say much more. And yes I miss writing here. Missed you too. I hope term is not too painful!!
Hi Pipp, yes, eight weeks gone, where they went I've no idea but tomorrow I am back in class with all the noise and usual tantrums - much as I don't want to be!
I don't know where time goes anymore? Only that the older I become the faster it does!
I am so envious of your swallows, I would string new wires everywhere if I thought they would entice even one to arrive!
Please send me links if you can so I can promote your book in my next post, well done lovely, I have no idea where you find the time! Lots of love back to you, how is your dad? xx
Hi Pipp, thanks for the mention :-) I do adore that video of all the creatures drinking. And I love swallows - I shall be sad to see them leave this year. Unfortunately the brood raised in our garage (which last year was successful) ended in disaster this year - as they didn't survive the heatwave. I hope that next year is a happier outcome!
Such a beautiful story of the swallows, Pipp. I love to watch them when I walk down the lane - they swoop under the old oak tree picking off the insects and sit on the wires. And thank you for the mention too. So kind of you xx
Hi Emily thank you for writing lovely to hear from you. It is amazing how much we love the swallows. I thought if I write about them more to get deeper, I might understand why, but I don’t think I found the answer, I just love them even more:)
i am glad we agree on the fundamentals. It is difficult to not get carried away when these birds have been playing in front of my desk for eight weeks, just a meter and a half away!
I absolutely agree with you, I've lived in forests on private land on my own, and although it's hard, with no heat or power in a big caravan, every day and night was stunning, also witness to poaching and that's not pretty, yes you do become attached as beautiful witness, I didn't mean to be harsh, maybe I've got too much to deal with, sincerely hope you have many years of connecting with this unique experience, much 🥰
What a beautiful piece Pipp, thank you 🙏🏻 I am on the east coast of Australia and we have barn swallows in a couple of nests at our place. I absolutely love their excited chatty conversations. You write beautifully!
Oh how I loved reading this Pipp. Such serendipity, as my own post flew out a couple of minutes before describing a magical encounter with a baby swallow! How wonderful that this family adopted your wiring as a roost. Such a wonderful small insight into their lives. Thank you too for mentioning me.
Hi Michela, thank you so much for the restack!! I must turn over to your post now too!! We are moved by the same birds this week, and no doubt other mother nature magic too.
Lovely. Like you I adore swallows and have been watching their steady decline over a few years now with heartbreak. (Where have you been reading about them, btw?)
I'm at least heartened by the fact that here in Brittany there are quite a few house martins this summer, and there have been more swifts than I feared would make it (gone now, of course. I wrote a bit about swifts in my own Substack a post or two ago.)
Good luck with the book! I haven't caught the title/subject yet? (Sorry.)
Hi Roselle, so lovely to ‘meet’ fellow swallow lovers and yes it is disturbing, their decline. I am glad you have had house martins this summer, phew!! A lot of the information I read was from the Wildlife Trust. The rest I think I quotes at the bottom.
Thank you for the interest in my book! It is actually out today!! All a new feeling. I am waiting a week until some copies arrive at home before launching more publicly, it is going to be a long gradual journey and I plan to enjoy this one! In any case, the book is called Sitges Sanctuary and it is on sale on Amazon, if you were interested in following it up. It is a self care text accompanied by nature and landscape photography of a Mediterranean town in Spain. I believe in a week or ten days a portion of the book is visible page by page to give an idea of how it flows.
So many birds are a worry. I monitor their arrivals and departures, but few of them nest near the house. They stick to the hedges and the trees, away from people. The swallows and martins and swifts nest under the eaves of the houses along the river and we watch them skimming across the water after mosquitos. They only come back here when it's time to leave. I never know why that is. Thank you for mentioning my poem xx
Ahh Pipp this is glorious writing, compulsive and beautiful, I shouldn't be sitting here reading, I should be dressing and preparing papaers for meetings - holiday over, back to work, I could cry - but I couldn't stop! Its so good to see a post from you! a thousand thanks for the mention... xx
We have no swallows, no swifts either... six consecutive years they haven't shown up, the land is barren, farmers don't care about swallows and swifts and insects, nor wild boar and badgers for that matter either - only their crops, they don't realise that the insects are necessary too and insects can't live on poison!
Bar the odd stray, the sky is empty of their sleek acrobatics, there are no flashes of sun glancing off their wings and tiny heads. I have shed tears for them, for their absence.
Even House Martens are few this year and I wonder what will be left in ten...?
I am so glad to hear good news re your book - you are amazing! I hope that means you'll be back here writing more often? Lots of love to you, I gotta dash... where the hell did eight weeks holiday go??? xxxx
Oh gosh have eight weeks gone already? No it can’t be.
Time for me has been nuts too. I am sad you have none of this high flying group. It is sad the farmers are not more involved in their protection. I do think we are lucky here. My husband is thinking of rigging up a second cable for next year!! I wonder if more would come to roost!!?
My book is out today but I am waiting ten days because interior pages go on show in another ten days so I thought I would wait until it is all running smoothly to say much more. And yes I miss writing here. Missed you too. I hope term is not too painful!!
Lots of love
Hi Pipp, yes, eight weeks gone, where they went I've no idea but tomorrow I am back in class with all the noise and usual tantrums - much as I don't want to be!
I don't know where time goes anymore? Only that the older I become the faster it does!
I am so envious of your swallows, I would string new wires everywhere if I thought they would entice even one to arrive!
Please send me links if you can so I can promote your book in my next post, well done lovely, I have no idea where you find the time! Lots of love back to you, how is your dad? xx
I can just imagine- I shall send you positive thoughts in the hope the first day back is less ruled by tantrums!
And I shall send you a copy of my book! Hoping they arrive here by Saturday. Yes I need to do some kind of promotion! This time I am taking it calmly…
Hi Pipp, thanks for the mention :-) I do adore that video of all the creatures drinking. And I love swallows - I shall be sad to see them leave this year. Unfortunately the brood raised in our garage (which last year was successful) ended in disaster this year - as they didn't survive the heatwave. I hope that next year is a happier outcome!
Oh how terrible that they didn’t survive the heatwave!!
Such a beautiful story of the swallows, Pipp. I love to watch them when I walk down the lane - they swoop under the old oak tree picking off the insects and sit on the wires. And thank you for the mention too. So kind of you xx
Hi Emily thank you for writing lovely to hear from you. It is amazing how much we love the swallows. I thought if I write about them more to get deeper, I might understand why, but I don’t think I found the answer, I just love them even more:)
Too distractingly obsessive, but I agree with living with nature it's easy , bless 🙌 ya, but too fancy flight, be good 👍
i am glad we agree on the fundamentals. It is difficult to not get carried away when these birds have been playing in front of my desk for eight weeks, just a meter and a half away!
I absolutely agree with you, I've lived in forests on private land on my own, and although it's hard, with no heat or power in a big caravan, every day and night was stunning, also witness to poaching and that's not pretty, yes you do become attached as beautiful witness, I didn't mean to be harsh, maybe I've got too much to deal with, sincerely hope you have many years of connecting with this unique experience, much 🥰
What a beautiful piece Pipp, thank you 🙏🏻 I am on the east coast of Australia and we have barn swallows in a couple of nests at our place. I absolutely love their excited chatty conversations. You write beautifully!
Hi Samantha, thank you. So good to hear from you so far away and the birds nest with you too!! That is the ultimate achievement!!
Glad you agree on their chatty ways!! And thank you for the encouragement it helps me gather the strength to keep going!!
Oh how I loved reading this Pipp. Such serendipity, as my own post flew out a couple of minutes before describing a magical encounter with a baby swallow! How wonderful that this family adopted your wiring as a roost. Such a wonderful small insight into their lives. Thank you too for mentioning me.
Hi Michela, thank you so much for the restack!! I must turn over to your post now too!! We are moved by the same birds this week, and no doubt other mother nature magic too.
Lovely. Like you I adore swallows and have been watching their steady decline over a few years now with heartbreak. (Where have you been reading about them, btw?)
I'm at least heartened by the fact that here in Brittany there are quite a few house martins this summer, and there have been more swifts than I feared would make it (gone now, of course. I wrote a bit about swifts in my own Substack a post or two ago.)
Good luck with the book! I haven't caught the title/subject yet? (Sorry.)
Hi Roselle, so lovely to ‘meet’ fellow swallow lovers and yes it is disturbing, their decline. I am glad you have had house martins this summer, phew!! A lot of the information I read was from the Wildlife Trust. The rest I think I quotes at the bottom.
Thank you for the interest in my book! It is actually out today!! All a new feeling. I am waiting a week until some copies arrive at home before launching more publicly, it is going to be a long gradual journey and I plan to enjoy this one! In any case, the book is called Sitges Sanctuary and it is on sale on Amazon, if you were interested in following it up. It is a self care text accompanied by nature and landscape photography of a Mediterranean town in Spain. I believe in a week or ten days a portion of the book is visible page by page to give an idea of how it flows.
I must look up your swifts!! :)
Oh Pipp all good luck today! It’s such a big thing. Of course I’ll look it up!
So many birds are a worry. I monitor their arrivals and departures, but few of them nest near the house. They stick to the hedges and the trees, away from people. The swallows and martins and swifts nest under the eaves of the houses along the river and we watch them skimming across the water after mosquitos. They only come back here when it's time to leave. I never know why that is. Thank you for mentioning my poem xx
Hi Jane thank you for writing. Isn’t it mesmerising watching them swoop and sip the water!? I like that we share such admiration!!
Happy Saturday
Like you, I’m worried at the drop in numbers. The heat waves don’t help. Even the insects seem fewer this year. No bats either.
Thank you Rob for the restack. It was very kind of you.
Thank you so much Roselle for the restack.
Such a lovely read Pipp! It felt as if I too were a bird, soaring in big, beautiful spirals in the sky. xo