On a cold, rainy winter’s day it’s cheering to think that Swallows might be back with us in a couple of months. I look forward to that but in some ways I enjoyed the last chapter of Stephen Moss’s latest (or have I missed one?) book the most because he takes us to Africa where ‘our’ Swallows avoid Big Garden Birdwatch, avoid slippery pavements and avoid days when it hardly seems to get light at all. Instead, particularly those that travel all the way to South Africa, they get a second summer.
Did you know that over 100 million Swallows enter sub-Saharan Africa and they vastly outnumber the resident or African hirundine species? No, I didn’t know and I don’t think I would have guessed either. Can you imagine a roost of millions of Swallows?
This is a straightforward book about one of our favourite birds – it is one of your favourites too, isn’t it? There’s lots of information and lots of stories about people, places and the wildlife. The book progresses chronologically; spring to winter. A good idea would be to buy it soon, read the first chapter in late March and then save the second until the solstice and so on.
The Swallow: a biography by Stephen Moss is published by Square Peg.
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I know a rather special lady who has a birthday in March, I may now have part of a plan. Thank You Mark and Stephen of course for writing it.
Thanks Mark – glad you enjoyed the book! Can’t wait for the swallows to return!