Friday's Foto

Summertime in Brooklyn's parks makes me think of Barn Swallows. A locally breeding species, they have learned to take full advantage of human activities. One way is to follow behind the park worker's lawnmowers, diving and swooping at the millions of insects stirred up by the machines. This most widespread and abundant worldwide species builds a mud nest, almost exclusively, on man-made structures. The Barn Swallow (known simply as the "Swallow" in Europe) has been the subject of myths and folklore for many cultures. I found a great little book published c1912 with the lengthy title, "The Swallow Book; The Story of the Swallow Told in Legends, Fables, Folk Songs, Proverbs, Omens and Riddles of Many Lands".