I saw this fine swallow whilst at Pendennis Castle in Cornwall. Just taking a little rest on a signpost long enough for me to photograph him.
A summer visitor to the UK and will return to wintering grounds in southern Africa come the autumn.
He is royal blue on the top with a russet forehead and throat. The long tail feathers are called streamers and they use them for flight manoeuvrability.
The swallow captures insects in flight and you can see them swooping and diving. They are quite accustomed to us humans and frequently will nest in barns and outbuildings. A church I visited yesterday gave strict instruction to close the door else the swallows will nest in there :)
“Little islands are all large prisons; one cannot look at the sea without wishing for the wings of a swallow.”
― Richard Francis Burton
The swallow is the national bird of Estonia.When the swallows fly high, the weather will be dry so the weather folklore goes.
It is used in heraldry, known as the martlet, shown with no feet. Often depicts the 4th son who would have no land to inherit.
Arms of East Sussex County Council
{Gules six Martlets three two one Or a Barrulet wavy enhanced Argent in chief a Saxon Crown Or}Legend says that the swallow got its forked tail when a fireball was thrown at it by an angry god for stealing fire.
My little swallow then flew off, up and away over the battlements of the castle keep as the sea mist swirled in. Fly safe feathered fellow.
18 comments:
What a lovely photo! We live in Cornwall but have never been to Pendennis castle, been meaning to but never got around to visiting! #animaltales.
Swallows are such amazing little birds, they look so delicate but manage to fly thousands of miles twice a year to where they need to be (all without a map). Every year we are lucky enough to have them nesting on our balcony and for me the novelty of seeing them for the first time in spring and watching them throughout the summer has never worn off.
#AnimalTales
The are great looking birds, and you got a couple of brilliant pictures here.
I love the idea of the legend, I wonder how that one started? Such interesting birds and always a privilege to spot one #AnimalTales.
Lovely post, good little snippets of information to go along with your photos. Not an easy bird to capture.
What a great photo =) A very beautiful bird
Oooh - lovely bits of information there - just the sort of things I like to collect in my head! We get swallows nesting in our outbuildings and sometimes they nearly crash into you as you walk in through the door.
Thank you for adding the swallow's tale to #AnimalTales
The Mother says - What a lovely post and some great information. You were so lucky to get this shot - it's a cracking photo :) #animaltales
very informative and a lovely photo.
lush picture, my sister loves getting her garden swallows , shes obsessed but they are lovely
What fab photos. We love looking for birds. The boys have their own books!
What a lovely post! Fantastic photos x
Lovely :) There's a place near Bude that we've been to a few times that always seems to have lots of Swallows too.
What a lovely post! Such beautiful pictures too.I love watching the birds outside our window as do the kids.
What a gorgeous photo of the swallow - we love watching the birds in our garden on a morning x x
Lovely pictures there and I've never heard that legend (or folklore!) before.
What a lovely picture - they are amazing little birds flying so far. x
What a beautiful picture of this lovely bird. I love to watch birds bob around the garden but am not very good at identifying the different types.
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