The swallows are gone!

The swallows are gone! I will miss them so. Always look forward to seeing them in the spring. It was a hard year for them with the drought. Many times while taking a late afternoon swim in the pool they would fly in for a drink! I don't believe I had ever noticed them doing this before. I will miss watching them work hard to build their nest, or seeing new families in old nest wondering if it's of the same family as the one before. The kids at farm camp love seeing the new babies that seem to grow up overnight . Yesterday in the heat of the day I noticed flies about the faces of the horses. While they were going into the barn. Ummmm first clue the swallows were gone. Never a fly to be found in the barn when the swallows are here! The photo above is a picture of an old electric wire going from the barn to the old chicken house. Its not been live for over 20 years but we left it for the swallows. I am always happy to see them when they arrive. And sad when I notice they are gone. I have been hearing our little screech owls in the evenings and the coyotes. This morning while having coffee on the front porch I had several visits from the humming birds. They will be the next to leave....but the squirrels are chatting up a storm better get their sunflower seeds out to them I'm late!