What the swallows did in September

For four mornings in a row the swallows sat shoulder to shoulder on the wire above the lane, twittering in the low voice they keep for this. On the fifth there was nobody there.

I always forget how sudden it is. The sky is full of them in August and then it is simply a sky. The nest under the porch eave is empty and a little untidy, which I will leave until spring.

Noted for the record: last bird seen on the 11th, about seven in the morning, heading south along the hedge.