Swallow Migration Begins

Among the common breeding birds of southeast Arizona that have not yet made it onto our modest yard list are some that enjoy a virtually worldwide distribution.

Of the birds that are still MIA, Barn Owl isn’t so much of a surprise, I guess: our neighborhood is pretty densely vegetated by Sonoran desert standards, and the nearest open area for feeding is five or six miles away on the Santa Cruz, where the species does occur in banks and under bridges. Eventually one will fly over, snoring, late one night.

Another barn bird is a much less expected listing lacuna. Diurnal, abundant, and strongly migratory, a Barn Swallow or two should have passed over the yard at some point in these past nearly six years. We came close this morning, with three stub-tailed individuals half a mile away over Oracle Road–the vanguard of hirundinid migration, and right on time with Fourth of July coming up in just hours.

Alison reminded me that the most recent Barn Swallows we’d seen were on another continent entirely, a small flock (probably a family) perching on wires

and dramatically drinking from a Tuscan swimming pool.

It’s nice to think that those rondine are on their way south to Africa just as ours are moving to South America.