Hi Mike and all
_____
then he says: ” Before bird migration was accepted as a fact, swifts swallows and other birds that disappeared at the end of summer were thought to hibernate through winter.”
And they were often thought to hibernate underground and dig themselves out after the winter freeze when the soil was at last ready for ploughing. Hence the very old Swedish peasant saying (my translation):
“When first you hear a lapwing in the lea
Time to ready the plough it be.”
The appearance of lapwings was the signal that the ground was thawed sufficiently for working (as the birds had been able to dig themselves out). That’s my understanding anyway!
Cheers
Andrew
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au
http://birding-aus.org ===============================