Spring Arrives with a Song

Last week I returned to San Francisco from a weekend down in Tucson, AZ.  My friend Angie is (presumably) still down in Mexico relaxing in the shade of cacti, and my old pal Drew continues south vagabonding through South America. Well, as everyone was heading south this little guy was passing us in the other direction.

                                                             Barn swallow on fire escape

Not the best nest photo but you can see the swallow in the upper left of the photo. That was a close call!

I noticed these swallow nests when I moved into this apartment at the end of January but was disappointed there were no swallows to accompany them. Then, all of a sudden, about two weeks ago they were everywhere! The barn swallow, as I now know, winters in South America and flies all the way to my window here at Baker Beach to officially announce the arrival of spring.

If you recall last week’s mention of the Salton Sea, barn swallows and other migratory birds rely on the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge during their long journey north. The males arrive first, finding their nests still in good condition waiting for them in the stairwell right outside my front door. These sturdy mud pellet homes just need a little touching up each year so that everything looks good when the females arrive. One nest can last 10-15 years! That’s a lot more durable than the furniture I buy at Target. 

According to Wikipedia, swallow pairs mate for life but it’s kind of an open marriage as “extra-pair copulation is common”.  So while these pleasant song birds mark the coming of spring, one can’t help wonder what stories of sex, lies and betrayal they may also be singing about. What might the conversation be in the photo below? Two old friends catching up? The timeless art of seduction? Or two jealous rivals staring each other down?

I think it's two males

All I know is that their presence means that summer is right around the corner and that means yet another, “Summer of Eric”. If you’re unfamiliar with the “Summer of Eric”, it was a cross country drive named for the “Summer of George” Seinfeld episode and not unlike Chevy Chase’s quest to reach Walley World. You can catch up at http://www.summeroferic2010.blogspot.com/. While there are no cross country drives planned for this year there is a 4^th of July BBQ down the shore, August in Alaska and a September trip to Spain. And of course, like all the young and hip kids in their “mid-20s”, I’ll be taking these trips with my parents. So now that spring is officially here, what are you planning for the summer?