Swallows overhead.

April 16.

Either barn or bank swallows overhead. 

Birds loosen and expand their feathers and look larger in the rain.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, April 16, 1853


Barn or bank swallows overhead. See April 23, 1855 ("Apparently barn swallows over the river. And do I see bank swallows also?"); May 7, 1856 (“A hundred or more bank swallows at 2 P. M. (I suspect I have seen them for some time)”). See also April 8, 1856 ("The white bellied swallows have paid us twittering visits the last three mornings. You must rush out quickly to see them,"); April 15, 1855 ("Many martins (with white—bellied swallows) are skimming and twittering above the water,"); April 15, 1856 ("The white-bellied swallows are circling about and twittering above the apple trees and walnuts on the hillside."); April 15, 1859 ("I see and hear white-bellied swallows as they are zigzagging through the air with their loud and lively notes"); April 18, 1855 ("White-bellied swallows and martins twitter now at 9 A. M."); April 28, 1855 ("The chimney swallow, with the white-bellied and barn swallows, over the river."); April 28, 1858 ("The barn swallows and a martin are already skimming low over that small area of smooth water within a few feet of me, never leaving that spot,"); April 29, 1854 ("The barn swallows are very numerous, flying low over the water in the rain.”); April 29, 1856 ("Barn swallows and chimney, with white-bellied swallows, are flying together over the river."); April 30, 1855 ("I observed yesterday that the barn swallows confined themselves to one place. . .circling about and flying . . . about six inches above the water, — it was cloudy and almost raining,”); April 30, 1856  ("Great number of swallows—white-bellied and barn swallows and perhaps republican — flying round and round, or skimming very low over the meadow, just laid bare, only a foot above the ground."); May 11, 1856 ("There are many swallows circling low over the river behind Monroe’s, — bank swallows, barn, republican, chimney, and white-bellied. These are all circling together a foot or two over the water, passing within ten or twelve feet of me in my boat. ")