Fourth of October

Today – 4 October – is St. Francis’s Day. Saint Francis of Assisi is perhaps one of the better known saints, in his role as patron of animals, (also ecology, and merchants).

Fourth October was traditionally the date around which swallows prepared to leave the UK for their annual migration to warmer climes. Before migratory patterns were known, people thought that swallows disappeared to the bottom of lakes to hibernate. A belief based, perhaps, on swallows’ tendency to skim bodies of water catching flies during the summer.

Swallows fly up to 200 miles a day over the course of their six week migration. Leaving the UK, they travel south over western France, on over Spain, and Morocco. They then fly across the Sahara Desert and Congo rainforest, before reaching South Africa and Namibia. By night, the birds roost in flocks, congregating in reed-beds along the route. They feed on flying insects as they go, so don’t need to prepare fat stores before their flight. Nevertheless, many die of starvation on the journey, while others are caught in storms, or drop from exhaustion.

In recent years, swallow numbers in the UK have fallen. A number of factors are thought to be behind this, including the reduction in insect numbers, climate change, and the availability of nest sites. Lines of swallows on telegraph wires were certainly a common sight during my childhood, but it’s not something I see as often these days.

I think all of our summer friends have departed for this year. There’s a certain sadness on the day in late summer, when looking skywards one sees empty space. The birds have flown. It’s a sign that autumn is closing in, with shorter hours of daylight and the dying back of much of nature’s greenery.  Although it also heralds the vibrant colours of deciduous trees, berry-laden hedgerows, and an increase in garden visitors. From the hedgehog preparing to hibernate, to the birds appreciative of a well laden bird table.

Whatever 4 October has in store, I hope to spend time exploring nature with our son, observing the life around us with whom we share our beautiful planet.