Every time I post about having seen my last swift of the year, I do so with an unspoken hope of tempting benign fate into granting me a further sighting, or maybe more. Sure enough, as I was sitting in the garden just now, I looked up and saw a pair of swifts flying over – a joyful sight. They've made it into August, hurrah! And already I'm wondering if those two really will be the last...
And they weren't! That benign fate was tempted again, and shortly after I saw that pair, a little delta of three flew over, followed, in the course of the afternoon, by three more singletons, one after another. Then, in the early evening, came yet one more – will that be the last? I wouldn't put money on it, not now.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived in Christchurch NZ we found they'd a lovely habit: the cathedral bells would be rung to welcome the first Godwit of the year, a wader that flew from Alaska.
ReplyDeleteThen, obvs miffed at the church hogging all the glory, the city council decided to mount a festival to bid goodbye to the last godwit of the year. I thought it as good an example as you could find of the dimwittedness of such people.
I wonder how they knew it was the last!
ReplyDeleteAnd two more swifts this morning! I bet this never happened to Edward Thomas...
ReplyDelete