Are you fascinated by birds, their ability to escape the confines of earth with flight, their marvelous color patterns and not in the least, their song?

Have you complied a life list over the years? What are your favorites among those birds you have seen and heard?

Having watched and studied birds most of my life and compiled a substantial life list from various parts of the country and beyond, I have my favorites amongst the group and they are now prominently displayed on the wall in my great room as seen on the right.

It might even be fun to include your state bird in the center of that group. I am in the process of including all the state birds in my collection. Enter the gallery by clicking on any of the images or on the gallery link above, and see what you like.

Barn Swallows

Last week we had a sudden rain burst and as I gazed out the window overlooking the pasture, I saw barn swallows and several rough-winged swallows “fall” out of the sky. The torrential downpour drove them down near the ground and as they sought protection from the onslaught, they struggled to reach the white pine tree beside the house. Several of the barn swallows alighted on the pasture fence. There they constantly shook their feathers trying to escape the rain. As suddenly as it started, the rain stopped and the swallows immediately took to the air, their favorite habitat.