The Battle of the Birds...

As many of you know, I live in Italy, in a small little town called Orvieto half-way between Rome and Florence.

I love the place. I love it’s nature and beauty and there are a few small things that make my heart leap every single year (that make me love it even more):

1)    Spotting the first lizard

2)    My bright green little fig leaves that bursting out like neon butterflies

3)    My cherry blossoms

4)    The first daffodils

5)    The first hum of bees around my wild plum tree

6)    Planting my tomatoes

To name a few…

But nothing, NOTHING, compares to sitting out in early April and spying with utter joy the first House Martin Swallows returning to nest.

This, for me, is the ultimate sign of Spring. The ultimate mystery that these little, but mighty birds, year after year fly thousands of miles back to their same nests. Without fail.

The amazing thing is that during the winter the other common Italian Birds use them too as their homes when it’s cold, clean them up, and clear out just before the swallows come back. It’s incredible how these little mud homes give so much to them all.

Sitting out on the bench with a cool beer in the evening watching the swallows dive is my favourite time of day. My moment to sit and be still. I love them very much and I’ve grown terribly attached to them.

And this is why I am writing.

This year it’s different.

This year it won’t happen.

Want to know why?

The nests. All 23 of them. Have been destroyed.

What what? By bad weather? By the terrible rain? Wind? No. By the hands of my terribly ignorant and selfish neighbours who took it upon themselves to ACTUALLY BUY AN INSTRUMENT to hack them all down.

Not only is this tragic and shows the very stupidity of humans but it is also AGAINST THE LAW.

Italian Law clearly states that no nests are to be destroyed FOR ANY REASON. Even if one has to do work on the roof and take away the nests one is then OBBLIGED BY LAW to replace them with artificial ones.

I am distraught and angry.

The way it works is that the elder swallows are the first ones to return. Their job is to make sure the nests are ready for the younger ones to come and lay their eggs. Now they have started to return and are circling confused over head. Most will die of exhaustion as they have no home left. There is already a 20% decline in the population thanks to these UTTER DICKS taking down their nests. Can you imagine? Flying miles and miles to get back "home" and finding nothing?

The reason? They are “dirty”. Well who is the one scrubbing the patio all summer??? ME!!! And that’s fine!! It’s a tiny price to pay for their beauty. A TINY price to pay for all the mosquitoes they happily gobble all day!

So this is war. I will not let this one go. I will NOT take this lying down. Everyone thinks I’m crazy. Everyone is saying “Mah che ti frega??” (what do you care in Italian) BUT I DO BLOODY WELL CARE.

I can’t save the world. I can’t guarantee a future for my son with the rate we are killing this planet. But I damn well can fight a small battle for my Birds.

Because you know what? If we can’t be arsed to fight a small battle, then God help us for the bigger picture.

I’ll keep you posted.