Microcosmic

My first Swallow on the patch was on 13th April - in Blue Peter style this is one I painted earlier As every schoolboy knows one Swallow doesn't make a summer. The Swedish schoolboy equivalent (we'll call him Lars) might say the same about one Starling. Equally the South African schoolboy (let's call him Eric Mortimore) might be sad to see the last of the winter visiting Swallows. Whether a bird is a summer visitor, a passage migrant or a winter visitor depends on your location - as well as the time of year.  This is true on a small scale as well. There are a number of species which wouldn't normally be considered summer visitors to Britain but ARE summer birds on the patch. I listen out for the return of the Dabchicks almost as keenly as the first Willow warbler. The pair's duet of winnying trills is a 'lovely lovely thing' (to quote Masterchef's very own John Torode). I hear them most mornings in late April and May, the remarkable thing is how...