It was a joy to see that our family of swallows fledging one by one from their nest in our stable... a large family of 5 for such a tiny nest - these past few evenings two of them have been perching on the edge as they're just to fat to fit inside the next all together other than piling on top of each other!
I took the picture of them as tiny babies - beaks peeping over the edge of the nest on 25th June - and in such a short time they've come on leaps and bounds.They were all back in the nest again tonight after flying lessons with Mum this afternoon - all be it rather windy which made landing on our roof quite difficult.
They are just so cute - couldn't resist sharing them with you...
9 comments:
Hi Miranda....beautiful images such as these always touch my heart. To have them in your stables is a priviledge and one to cherish......your photographs will always remind you of the experience....lovely post....
Thanks Cheryl - Swallows have to one of my favorite birds and they only started nesting in this site last year - they had 3 babies last year and so a much bigger family this time around.
It was a mystery to me as to how all 5 fitted into that tiny nest! Luckily the biggest one fledged early this morning - it was more do-able with 4!
Hope I'll get more time to read some of your past posts - your photos are lovely.
Have fun - Miranda
Hi there Miranda, I just got here in time :-)
What lovely images of the swallow. I can see why you would be trilled to have them nest in your stables. What a treat to see!
Wow! How many nests and how many different birds have been nesting in your garden this year? Have you kept a count? You have to post on this sometime. I think it would be a fascinating read :-D
Enjoy the rest of your week :-D
Thanks Shirl - I just love swallows - they really are the most beautiful little things - just a shame that they go away for half the year!
I think we've had lots of birds nesting around the house and garden - only 4 other nests that I've been aware of - others were hidden! But certainly with 2 nests of blue tits and two of great tits - there were definately wrens, thrushes and robins somewhere as plenty of juveniiles around! Mind you I think you've had your fair share too :-)
Will drop by your blog v. soon... Miranda
Haven't seen nesting swallows since childhood. Aren't they amazing? We used to have them in our barn and nesting in the eaves of our porch. I remember swallows "dive bombing" the cats and we had to stop putting their food on the porch because there was no peace for them there. Even our half grown kittens knew better than to hunt baby birds once they'd encountered the swallows' defenses. Remarkable to see.
It was always exhilarating, somehow triumphant, and yet sad to see the swallows fly the nest. It seemed that in no time we were being pulled in from our outdoor adventures to buy "school shoes" and have hair cuts and prepare for the march back to a comparatively staid classroom after the wild barefoot summer.
Hi Miranda,
You have some wonderful photographs of the baby swallows. It is always fascinating to watch them spread their wings and yet return to the nest after their day's activities!
great images of the swallows. we too have them and are always delighted when they start to fly. it is funny to see them get too big almost to come home to the nest but it doesn't keep them from trying. we also had a bluebird box this year that has produced some beautiful babies.
oh i had a wren make a nest in my son's helemt he had left on his dirtbike. needless to say he didn't get to ride until fledglings had flown the coop oopps i mean helmet.
I'm so sorry to take so long to thank you all for your lovely comments - a combination of having family staying and lots of work on!
Nancy - I loved your recollections of Swallows whilst growing up - perhaps you should start your own blog!? Do hope to see you both soon.
Marmee - welcome to my blog and thankyou for visiting - you sound like you've quite a number of different birds in your part of the world - although we do have wrens here too! Will pop over and check your blog out v. soon!
Enjoy your weekend - Miranda
Hi Kate - lovely to hear from you - it's been great seeing all the swallows return to the nest in the evening - all chattering to each other in the stable! Hope you're enjoying your summer...
Hello again Miranda. I would in fact love to do a Blog, but I'm afraid I'm not the calibre photographer you seem to be. I don't know how you manage to get these photos, even of the most minute blossoms, butterflies in flight and baby bird faces. Until I've got THAT skill I'm probably going to be commenting on what you offer and leaving the photography to the experts. Hope to see you soon for tea.
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