I had an enjoyable lunch at a small café in Blanco recently. I chose to sit at an outside table since it was a nice sunny day.
While I was waiting to be served, I noticed a barn swallow glide in over my head and perch by a nest made of mud and stuck under the building eaves. She proceeded to feed her nestlings, with what I guessed to be small insects.
I had a chicken-bacon sandwich and a glass of Real Ale porter, enjoying the aerial comings and goings of that mother swallow. She was typical of the species, with long, slender, pointed wings and a long, deeply-forked tail. She was dark blue-black above and a light orange below.
I did not hear her make any vocalization, but I am told the barn swallow’s song is “husky and squeaky” and sounds something like “vit” or “vit-vit.” You can visit Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website to hear recordings of various bird songs.
In addition to the mother barn swallow, a house sparrow was walking around on the wood floor looking for fallen tidbits. I broke off a small piece of bread and dropped it by my table, figuring it would be a treat for the little bird. And then I paid my bill and departed.
If you should visit Blanco and sit at an outdoor table, I hope you’ll keep an eye out for avian activity. There’s no telling what you might see.
