The autumn morning peace exploded into a twittering of birds. Scrambling from my desk, I rushed outside. House martins! Thirty or 40, 50 or 60, more. Repeatedly circling our house, they swooped up to the mud cup nest under the gable end to noisily greet the fledglings. I witness this event every autumn but never tire of it. As September lengthens, the whole village community of adult house martins come together to encourage any recalcitrant youngsters from the nest in time for the great trek back to Africa.
15 September 2016, The Tablet
Glimpses of Eden
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login