Swifts
“Fifteenth of May. Cherry blossom. The swifts
Materialise at the top of a long scream
Of needle. ‘Look! They’re back! Look!’
And they’ve gone
On a steep controlled scream of skid”
~ Ted Hughes, from The Swifts
(first noticed the swifts returning to Ludlow on 8th May this year – lovely to see and hear them again, now I know summer is on her way)
Earth laughs in flowers 
Beautiful!
Thanks Aletta 🙂
Reblogged this on TRAVEL WORDS and commented:
The swifts have returned today!! So wonderful to hear them again and know that summer is here.
Lovely poem.
Looked up swifts and now I know what they are. 🙂 🙂
I love to watch them Tess, they are so acrobatic and flit across the sky, mewing like new-born kittens. They leave at the end of August (though last year it was so cold in August they left early) taking summer with them.
Aah.
so very pretty
What a lovely shot Jude! Did the blossoms have a scent?
I don’t recall a scent Karen. Maybe I have lost my sense of smell…
Or maybe they had none. 😦
i saw them one evening last week when I was dog walking – they were bursting with energy, don’t know how when they’ve come so far!
Apparently they spend most of their lives in the air, apart from the breeding season. Incredible!
Oh and the blossom is beautiful too 🙂
I’d love to have swifts near our house, but sadly I have never seen them. However… in the local park, many years ago now, I was walking the dog when lots of swifts appeared, flying to and fro and sweeping low over the grass and around where we were standing. It was marvellous.
They nest in the eaves of houses and barns and new houses and renovated barns don’t provide access. I guess there are sufficient old properties around here for them to return to. They are amazing birds, they even sleep whilst in the air and only rest when breeding! They are a sight to behold when swooping low for the insects like that.
I would think there are quite a few houses round us which would be suitable for them nesting, so I wonder if there might be something putting them off (or I am just not observant!). They have quite a magical quality about them I think – I would be very excited to spot them in our garden.
They love flying insects, so you often find them near a river.
The time I saw them in the park was near the river, so that makes sense. 🙂
Beautiful blossoms, Jude. I remember those swifts arriving. Time to put away the winter blankets. 🙂