“Are we there yet?”, says a voice for the umpteenth time.
“Almost, just be patient!”, GRANDPA SWALLOW answers.
“Young ones today! Always so impatient and lazy!”, he mumbles, as he opens his wings and flies off to the right.
Just like every year, the swallows have fought the winds and torrid heat of faraway lands, flying night and day to return to their nests, announcing the beginning of spring.
But this time she comes home to a terrible surprise: her beloved nest has been destroyed! A raging storm has blown it away. MOMMY SWALLOW cannot believe her eyes.
“OH NO! NOW WHAT? HOW WILL I EVER BE ABLE TO LAY MY EGGS AND HATCH
THEM?”
“We have to build a new nest for MOMMY SWALLOW and her babies by tomorrow!”, GRAMPA SWALLOW orders, “Everyone to work!”, than DADDY SWALLOW declares:
NEAR THERIVER .
MOMMY SWALLOW looks around to make sure there are no eagles or other predators nearby, and then flies to her new nest. “Oh, finally I can lay my eggs!” she sighs happily, dropping three tiny eggs into the nest. For days and days and days on end she sits quietly, brooding her eggs. She flies off only for a little snack or a quick drink from the river, leaving DADDY SWALLOW to watch over the nest.
“NOONEWILLBEABLE TO TOUCH OUR EGGS , IWILLSTAYAND
The three baby swallows are very small, but very hungry. So MOMMY SWALLOW gets to work to find them some delicious insects, while DADDY SWALLOW cleans and protects the nest.
MOMMY SWALLOW doesn’t stop for a second! She is a great hunter and never comes back to the nest with an empty beak! She flies high, searching the ground for worms, crickets and grasshoppers. She snaps up flies, bees, moths and other insects, and carries them to the nest in her beak.
1 2
Swallows return home from their warm wintering grounds
The eggs start to hatch The babies are born Mommy Swallow builds her nest
5
6
She lays the eggs
8 3 4
She broods the eggs
7
Mommy Swallow feeds her babies
After a week, they take their first flight
