When I was home in Belgium in May, my Mum commented that they don't see swallows anymore. She said it was due to the use of insecticides in fields. So I was thinking of her in the last few days when I've seen swallows flying low at the top of the estate. I was always told that a swallow flying low is a sign of rain. I think it's got something to do with the fact that there are more insects to catch closer to the ground when it's going to rain...Well, anyway, that's what I was always told as a kid, so I believe it!Well, these swallows must be confused, because it hasn't rained much in the last few days (though it did rain yesterday morning). It looks like it could rain any minute, and the wind is strong, but not a drop of rain today... Or maybe, the lore that's been passed down through my family is completely wrong! There is a reference to swallows flying low in the wikipedia article, but they don't explain why!
On the other hand, there is a reference in the same article to the decline in numbers in Europe: "In recent years, there has been an ongoing gradual decline in numbers in parts of Europe and North America, due to agricultural intensification reducing the availability of insect food."
I just found in an Ireland.com article that the saying about swallows and summer comes from Aristotle: "Aristotle wrote that "one swallow does not a summer make"". The saying we have in Belgium refers to spring, not summer, but anyways, interesting to see how far back these things go!
By the way, the picture I chose today is by Hokusai, one of my favourite Japanese artists. He's very famous for the print called "The Great Wave at Kanagawa", which I've never managed to see. I've been to the Metropolitan Museum in New York several times, and each time I ask about it, I'm told it's not on display!
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