AA#14: Frequent Fliers
Please note that the cache description contains the above external link to a jigsaw.
Although it is from a well-known source, it has 'not been checked by Groundspeak nor by the reviewer for possible malicious content and access to the site is therefore at your own risk'.
To Find the Cache: clicking on the image above will link you to a jigsaw, completion of which will reveal the cache coordinates - and a helpful hint!
The cache, a camo-taped 35mm film canister, is hidden along the top (northernmost) section of the Amble. Gathered on the telephone wires suspended across the field to the north of the path were dozens of this well-loved, easily recognised and extraordinary bird - and the 'herald of spring' . . .
The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is usually seen from late-March to October (the average arrival date is 29 March) performing amazing aerial feats as it catches its insect-prey on the wing. It is the most widespread swallow in the world and has the largest natural distribution of any passerine (perching bird).
It is a glossy, dark blue-black above and white below, with a dark red forehead and throat, and a black band across its chest. It has a very long, forked tail. It is 18cm long, weighs 19g, has a wingspan of 34cm and an average lifespan of (only) 2 years
It is a common summer visitor to the UK and builds mud and straw nests on ledges, often in farm buildings and outhouses, or under the eaves of houses. Swallows are widespread in areas with plentiful insects and are common birds of farmland and open pasture near water.
They are agile fliers, feeding on flying insects while on the wing. Before they migrate back to their wintering grounds in Africa, they can be seen perched on wires in small numbers or gathering to roost in wetlands, particularly reedbeds.
Until the C19, people thought that the swallow hibernated over winter. Of course, it is now known that it migrates 6,000 miles to South Africa - an epic and perilous journey, during which it is vulnerable to starvation and stormy weather.
See here for more info on this remarkable flier and see short videos here (drinking on the wing - BBC), here (a well-presented 'all you need to know'), and here (a barn swallow's story - 3o mins)
