There’s currently a flock of 200+ cliff swallows perched on the power lines across from our house. It took us awhile to identify which kind of swallows they are as so many of them are juveniles. Luckily, they let us walk right over and peak at them through our binoculars at close range. We know a colony of them live under the little bridge by our neighbor Margaret’s house, and we wonder if this is part of a larger family reunion, where multiple colonies have come together on a field trip for the kids. Besides their different coloration, the juveniles are still crazy awkward in their mannerisms when seen up close, even if they are the size of adults.

They seem content to spend the evening here, rising up and over the fields if a car goes by, which isn’t often, returning to their lines and the nearby trees when the dust settles. I am content to spend the evening watching them, preening and soaring and chattering with each other.

What a wonderful place to live.