A new month

Where did June go?

 It is hard to ignore the passage of time when you are filling these in, but I started last July and I must say I enjoy looking back at what I wrote.

Here is July 2010.

 

I hope you like my new Blog layout. This way I can post larger photographs, it was quite easy with the new design tab.

SWIFTS

Here is something I have been thinking about for some time. I did a page in my journal last year devoted to swifts, but I wasn't quite happy with it so I thought I would have another go. Some of the dyed paper I made earlier in the week was just the background I was looking for. It is not a great piece of art, more a poster, but it expresses how I feel about swifts, they speak for themselves.

I learned some new facts about Swifts from this BTO page.

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  In spells of bad weather Swifts can foray for food hundreds of miles away from their nesting sites so those on the south coast could be feeding in northern central France.
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  Their eggs can survive long periods of chilling while the parent birds are away.
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  Young birds can also survive chilling to the point of torpor, reviving quickly when the parents return with food.
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  The young can survive up to three weeks without food whereas adults swifts become weak after starving for two or three days and usually die after four days without food.
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  Swifts are related to humming birds.

Swift lino print

I already knew;

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  Swifts sleep and mate on the wing.
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  When they leave the nest they have one chance to fly as they cannot take off from the ground and will then be airborne for three or four years until they raise their own family.

I find the life of these birds which grace us with their presence every year truly wonderful, and if I were to have to choose an animal existence it would have to be a Swift for me