It seemed as if two pairs were checking out the real estate market which we have around the perimeter of the pasture. There is nothing quite like the flight of a swallow as they dive and swoop with such grace, the sun catching their white breast and steely blue backs. The Lower Mainland of BC has seen a rather dramatic drop in the swallow population so it’s pretty special to see this first quartet.
Apart from the beauty of their flight and their occasional dive-bombing of the cats, swallows dispense with an enormous number of insects every day. There is an old saying that goes, “When swallows fly high, the weather will be dry.” We may notice this more when we see its opposite. With pending rain, swallows fly close to the ground because that is where their food is flying. Bugs are also at higher levels when the weather is warm and steady.
These little creatures also get special mention in Psalm 84. My Dad loved singing this version which has a particular longing quality to it. God is pictured as a mothering bird under whose wings we shelter.
HOW LOVELY IS YOUR DWELLING
How lovely is your dwelling,
O Lord of hosts, to me;
my soul is longing, fainting,
the courts of God to see.
The beauty of your dwelling
will bring me joy anew.
My heart and flesh are crying,
O living God, for you.
Beneath your care the sparrow
finds place for peaceful rest;
to keep her young in safety
the swallow finds a nest.
So, Lord, my King Almighty,
your love will shelter me;
beneath your wings of mercy
my dwelling place shall be.
Blest they who love and serve you,
whose joy and strength you are.
Forever they will praise you,
your ways are in their heart.
Though tried, their tears like showers
shall fill the springs of peace,
and all the way to Zion
their strength shall still increase.