September 17th – September 21st, 2024 is Autumn – HAKURO (White dew)-45th KOU “Swallows leave.”
Swallows are birds spend summer in Japan. They lay eggs and raise their young.
Until recently, I have thought there were baby swallows in the nest, but now it’s empty. They no longer fly around here. Have they already left for warmer regions such as Southeast Asia to spend the winter?
In fact, they start migrating a little later, from the end of September to the beginning of October. Until then, parents and children spend time together in groups in reed fields on riverbeds.
Along the SAI riverbed, there are only a few reed bushes and no field, and it seems too small to support many swallows.
Swallows are ones that tell us seasons, appearing in early spring and disappearing in autumn. They often build their nests under eaves of our houses, so they are familiar birds to humans. Maybe that’s why they were selected as one of the SHICHIJYUNIKOU calendar.
