Another glorious April morning, espresso outside looking at the sky,
SWIFT
The significance of my first swift of the year cannot be overstated. Since primary school days, where they used to nest under the eaves, the species has captured my imagination like no other. The impact of my first swift of the year seems to increase annually; the shape never fails to be a visual shock, memories of past Summers flood back, my heart rate literally increases and without caring who hears, I just cry “swift”!
I immediately reached for the watercolours and made some studies to get my eye in again. This was without doubt the first Gilling East swift to return. I could almost sense the swift familiarising itself with its aerial map again. We saw it several times during the day, sometimes quite low, probably checking our colony to see if others were back. But it remained…
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