Swallows, Hummers and the Marking of the Seasons

This summer was unusual here, as it was in many places. Birds came back early, the ice was out late. The early birds had no food because of the cold spring, and then the summer was dead dry. We always get some barn swallows in the shed and this year they hatched in July. There were 4 little ones in the nest. By the time they're ready to fledge, they are pretty much crowded out.

Then late the next day, the second pair came out. They all sat in the shed for a day getting waited on by the adults. Normally they'd be here for the rest of the summer. This year because of the dry, they were gone almost immediately so we missed their aerobatic hi-jinks all summer.

We had more hummers this year than ever and , with feeders, they stuck around. By september we'd put up 4 feeders and at times had up to 12 birds by teh front porch scrapping over who got next turn. Activity mountied, and then one day, Sept 20th, all but 2 or 3 were gone.
Living out here, we really do mark the seasons by the weather, the birds and animals and the planting and harvest. Most of the beans have been taken, with yields about 1/3 to 1/2 lower than normal because of the dry summer. Corn should be started any day now, although a lot was harvested for silage because the ears were so small and many stalks have only one ear.
Now the geese start coming over in their big 'V's" practicing for the migration (and avoiding getting shot at). Outside the downstairs bedroom window they often come off the lake at an elevation below where you're standing. It's quite a site.