Chimney Swift on Nest

In our bustling city lives, we are seldom aware of the sounds of nature. But above the roar of the traffic, our urban skies are often criss-crossed by little birds hawking for insects. They are like twittering, winged cigars. These are swifts and they are found in Europe, Asia and Africa as well as America.

They are commonest in cities because their nesting sites, which in nature are caves and hollow trees, are in the roofs, eves and chimneys of buildings. The common North American bird is called the Chimney Swift because it usually builds its nests inside chimneys. Twigs are fixed to the vertical surface and to each other with saliva which acts like glue. The famous bird's nest soup of Southeast Asia consists entirely of this congealed saliva.

I found this nest inside an abandoned house in a marginal farming area where we used to play as kids. You can see a former nest, now empty, and the mark of a previous nest added to the weathering wallpaper. It is a poignant reminder of the hopes and dreams of humans which sometimes fail and so return to nature.