Why are there fewer and fewer swallows in the city?
Once, the author was doing a survey of breeding birds in the city and met an old lady basking in the sun in front of the house. She complained to me that the swallows who used to make nests in front of her house have never seen again in the past few years. She didn't understand why, and asked me if there was any way for the swallows to come back to make nests.
Swallows were once one of the most familiar and favorite birds among Chinese people. There are countless ancient Chinese poems about swallows. This is not only because the swallow can prey on the pests that people hate, and its fixed north-south migration behavior accurately predicts the change of seasons, but also because it is very close to the lives of ordinary people. They often build their nests under the eaves, even between the beams in the house. The swallow's whisper was once the background sound and even the main melody of many people's memory. However, for those who live in the city, the swallows are indeed leaving them.
Although the old lady's house is still an old-fashioned house, it has been surrounded by tall buildings rising from the ground, and it has become a veritable "village in the city". Swallows need to forage in the field, especially after the baby swallows hatch, they need to find food and return to the nest as soon as possible to meet the growth needs of the baby swallows. As for the people living in the "village in the city", the surrounding fields have gradually disappeared or disappeared. Swallows have to go through the "jungle" composed of tall buildings, and it is not easy to find a place suitable for nesting. Even if they are found, they still need suitable soil around them for their nests. Although there is a lot of soil and sand in the city, it lacks viscosity, and the nest will fall if it is not firm. Even if the nest is okay, in the future the little swallows will come out, and then run far away to find insects, it will be very hard for them. Therefore, there are fewer and fewer swallows in the city.
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