The Barn Swallows have arrived from their wintering grounds in Africa and will spend the summer breeding here. This Eurasian species is very similar to the Australian species I grew up with, called the Welcome Swallow, which migrates from the warm north of Australia where it overwinters, to the south eastern states in the spring.Susan
5 comments:
Nice set of pix Susan.
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I hate the term Barn Swallows.... it has come into use only recently... in the same way that the Purple Gallinule is now the Purple Swamp Hen.
Barn Swallow sounds almost as though apologetic people want to record where it used to nest, now that barns are either being knocked down or turned into des-reses!
[/rant]
Tim: Sorry but I disagree. I deliberately referred to it as the Barn Swallow, in order to distinguish it from the other world species. I'm afraid that just Swallow (or Robin or Wren) always rankles with me - it's as if the rest of the world doesn't exist.
No, Susan, you misunderstood me, it is the word Barn that rankles... it sounds so pathetic... why not the Eurasian Swallow or Eurasian Red-faced Swallow... much nicer and gives an idea of where you are likely to spot it. The latter name is to distinguish it from the Red-rumped Swallow.
Our Eurasian Swallows haven't arrived yet... I hope they make it.
Another good one is the new Zitting Cisticola [formerly the Fan-tailed Warbler]... what's it doing? Sitting in front of a mirror putting cream on it's zits??
Tim: OK. The word barn doesn't resonate like that for me, but I agree that Eurasian Red-faced Swallow would have been an appropriate choice.
Zitting Cisticolas aren't new to me - that's what I've always known them as. I've not heard them called Fan-tailed Warblers. And what they are doing is zipping around the grass stalks going zzzzzitzitzzzitzit at you and each other. Australian birdwatchers rather like the name and it hadn't even occurred to me to connect it with achne.
PS Saw the first Common Swifts up over the Loire on Tuesday - obviously arrived with the weather.
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