During my career as a professional musician, I used to perform at a summer festival north of Toronto. In the daytime, we rehearsed in a barn and the concerts were given there at night. Each year, barn swallows plastered up nests in the rafters and flew in and out of the barn all through the daylight hours. In the evening, I presume that they were listening to the music.

There is a colony of Barn Swallows under the bridge at Col. Sam.

Other birds:

Today one of our walkers brought in an interesting book on birds. It happens to have been co-written by a fellow walker, Trudy Rising, and her husband.

Today’s group:

Trudy is on the left:

Article about Jim Rising:

James D. Rising, 1942–2018 | Ornithology | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

NATURE POETRY

A robin redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage. – William Blake

Miles Hearn