I was told that a colony of sand martins (or bank swallow or backsvala in swedish) hade a returning spot near where I live. ”They will return on the 15th”, he said, and who can question such certainty in a matter of which I had not asked about?
Well, maybe I should have, because they didn’t come on the 15th. I asked an ornithologist who said that earliest spotting in our area is the 18th, probably later. Yesterday, the 23th, still not here. So either the colony is tardy or I didn’t understand the exact spot where they would nest. It COULD be they meant the next month.
”They will return on the 15th”
But while checking for the martins I found a new area that I havn’t visited before. It is close to a quarry and in the process of quarrying they have to remove the ground water which is pumped up aside of the dig site. There are now tiny lakes with crystal clear water. The trees standing there have died (because of waterlogging i presume) and it is quite interesting environment and a photo opportunity.
I’m not giving up. To be continued…
Leave a Reply