Tree Swallows

The tree swallows have been active at the Howard County Conservancy this past month. I haven’t succeeded in photographing them on the wing over the grassy areas but they like to perch on the fence around the community garden and they are nesting in several boxes.

One particular box was along the loop hike for the third grade hikes I was leading; it seemed like there was a bird in the box or on top of the box almost every time I walked by! The bird would fly away if there was too much noise but it would not take long for it to return.

Swallows are fun birds to watch because they are so acrobatic and they seem to make patterns of loops in the air. They evoke the joy of flying with their motions. Do they feel it too --- or are we just translating their movement into our own emotions?