Little things

A couple of days ago I noticed an egg on the floor of the sheep barn under my Barn Swallow's nest. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was a whole shell, but had a puncture in one end and was hollow. I was concerned about my little friends and I worried that all of their hard work in securing a nest site, and successfully starting a clutch of eggs, had somehow gone wrong. I didn't have time to climb up and take a peek at that time, so today I got out my trusty (ancient rickety) wooden ladder and climbed up to see what fate had come to them. As I balanced myself, with camera in hand, on the top rung of the ladder as it creaked and wiggled ( okay, I don't need to be so dramatic, it is actually just a step ladder, I am very afraid of heights) I was thrilled to see these four fat, healthy nestlings peering back at me! Only one of the eggs didn't hatch.

I apologised to the babes in advance for the flash of the camera that was about to come, and took the above picture. Then I about fell off of the ladder laughing, because when they heard the high pitched beep of my camera, they thought it was the dinner bell and everyone stretched their little beaks open as wide as they could go waiting to be filled up.

Sometimes you have to take time to appreciate the small stuff.