August 24 2002

It's 7 AM. There is no movement of air whatsoever. The leaves and new growth on the trees are limp. Not a rustle, not a move, no shake, no bend before the breeze, motionless. The sky is grey, just as it was yesterday evening when as I rummaged in the garden I became aware of a particular bird sound. A Swallow! Now Clondalkin is not renowned for it's swallows so I was a bit surprised. So I looked up to see from where had the chirping come. To my increased surprise I saw that whichever swallow it had come from he was only one of many. The sky was full of them. They were not feeding, but were mostly flying very high and gliding to and fro almost aimlessly. However one could detect a directional drift. You know that feeling you get when you look at apparently motionless clouds, yet you detect almost subconsciously that they are moving in a particular direction. It was the same with the swallows. You got the sense that there was movement of the entire flock in an easterly direction. I do believe that I was witness to the start of that great migration back to Africa. I was at the Hazeler later in the evening and there wasn't a swallow to be seen. My guess is that over the next week or so many more will be seen drifting eastward. I wonder if they keep sight of land at all times. From Killakee you can see the Welsh coast. I'm sure that from the south-east coast of England you can see the French coast (Normandy) from whence came the ancesters of so many of those of us who became more Irish than the irish themselves. Once over the French coast, it's over land all the way down through France and Spain and on into North Africa. So, resting places are available all the way. This could mean that the journey of the swallows is a much more leisurely affair than we might be inclined to think. Perhaps it's not a mad dash in endless flight from the south coast of Ireland accross endless water to their landfall in Africa, but a relaxed casual leisurely drift from one coast to the next until they finally reach their destination. OK. You can go back to sleep now!!