Heading west on Interstate 70 today, I encountered a large flock of tree swallows circling above the Saline River in Salina, Kansas. The first I have seen this year, tree swallows are always among the first summer birds to appear in the Heartland each spring. No doubt, this flock took advantage of the strong south winds that buffeted my pickup from central Missouri to central Kansas.
Since tree swallows winter across the southern border of the U.S., they arrive earlier than their cousins, which spend the colder months in Central or South America. Indeed, eastern phoebes are generally the only summer resident to appear earlier, often by late February.
Highlighting an otherwise uneventful road trip (so far), the swallows were a welcome sight, offering assurance that, despite human impact on Earth's climate, the seasons remain intact. Of course, that might not be the case for long.
