Is there a strange phenomenon in the sky or is it the Swallow's "team building"?, Hundreds of Swallows Swallows Swallow Swallows Swallows in a Low Flying Typhoon Over West Lake | Reporter | Swallows

Swallows in groups are flying over West Lake. Photo taken by Lu Jianli, a photography friend

"Hundreds of swallows are flying over the White Embankment from the Broken Bridge to the 'Pinghu Autumn Moon' area."

"I have seen swallows by the West Lake in previous years, but this year there are particularly many..."

Recently, some Hangzhou residents reported seeing a large number of swallows flying low over West Lake, which surprised many people. Volunteer Lu Jianli of the West Lake Mandarin Duck Guard told reporters that at the end of last month, he captured a large group of swallows on the White Embankment, most of which were family swallows and some were golden waisted swallows. "The swallows fly very fast and the route looks quite chaotic. I started shooting around 7 o'clock in the morning and it wasn't until after 8 o'clock that the swallows slowly dispersed as more people gathered by West Lake." said Lu Jianli.

Is there a strange phenomenon in the sky, or is there a feeling of the beautiful scenery of West Lake and the swallows' group tourism? Or is it that the swallows are summoned by mysterious forces to come here for "group building"? The Chao News reporter has already found out! Let's listen to what some experts and bird watching enthusiasts have to say together.

Expert: Swallows flying low is a common occurrence

On August 3rd, the reporter came to the White Embankment of West Lake to search for the trace of the legendary swallow.

At around 4 pm, the light rain by the West Lake stopped for the first time, and the weather was relatively cool. The reporter walked along the White Embankment and did not find any swallows clustering in the sky over West Lake. Only one or two swallows sporadically passed through the willow leaves by the lake, flying high and low against the surface of the lake, and occasionally one or two flew high into the air. Due to the fast flight speed and large path changes of swallows, it is difficult to capture them with a lens. The reporter stood by the lake and observed for a while. In just ten minutes, several more swallows joined the "flying team" on the lake surface.

A swallow is flying against the surface of West Lake. Photo by intern Zhu Mengyao

A sanitation worker by the White Embankment told reporters that there are usually many swallows around 5 or 6 pm in the evening, and they usually fly close to the lake to search for food. When the weather is too hot, they will also hide, but more on rainy days. I haven't seen much swallows all day today. "Nowadays, the abundance of swallows may be related to ecology! If the ecology is good, swallows also like good places."

According to Jin Wei, a senior engineer at the Zhejiang Provincial Forest Resources Monitoring Center, the phenomenon of swallows flying low is closely related to their hunting habits. "Before it rains, the air humidity is high and the pressure is low, so insects fly low. Swallows that feed on it use low flying to 'feast on it'," said Jin Wei.

Liang Qinghua, a teacher at the School of Marxism at Zhejiang University, is a member of the Wild Bird Branch of the Zhejiang Wildlife Conservation Association. With over 6 years of bird watching experience, she shares a similar view with Jin Wei. She told reporters that this is a typical typhoon phenomenon. "When there is wind and rain, mosquitoes can only fly at low altitudes, which attracts swallows who are searching for food to follow in their footsteps and fly at low altitudes." Liang Qinghua said that on a typhoon day a few years ago, he also saw scenes of domestic swallows densely preying above the lotus pond by West Lake.

According to relevant reports, on August 31 last year, the same scene occurred on both sides of the White Embankment of West Lake due to the influence of cold air and the 11th typhoon of this year, "Xuanlannuo". Countless swallows flew against the lake surface, preying on small insects that flew low due to reduced air pressure and increased humidity.

Bai Di. Photo by intern Zhu Mengyao

It seems that the ancient saying "fish emerge in the gentle rain, swallows slant in the gentle breeze" is indeed a realistic statement.

Is it normal for so many swallows to participate in team building by West Lake?

So, is it also a normal phenomenon for hundreds of swallows to gather together?

"The clustering phenomenon of family swallows or golden waisted swallows is very normal, and the clustering phenomenon currently seen by the West Lake should be related to predation." A bird expert in Hangzhou told reporters that after the breeding period ends, swallows will prepare to migrate south. By September every year, in the suburbs of Hangzhou such as Beihu Wetland, you can see clusters of hundreds or even thousands of swallows.

The reporter searched for the Hangzhou Bird Ecology Research Association's "Hangzhou Bird Directory 1.0 Edition". As of the end of 2022, there were a total of 462 bird species in 83 families and 21 orders, accounting for 30.8% of the total bird species in Hangzhou, including over 100 migratory birds. It is reported that swallows belong to the "summer migratory birds". They come to Hangzhou in spring and breed there. They like to gather in groups and usually leave Hangzhou for migration in autumn.

"The appearance of so many swallows together is definitely a good thing for the protection of biodiversity in West Lake!" Jin Wei said. The appearance of swallow clusters by West Lake proves that the area is rich in food and has a good habitat environment, which is also what ecological workers are happy to see. "We often see domestic swallows building nests under human eaves, but based on the observed large population of swallows, it is certain that there are still many swallows settling down in the wild."

The situation observed by Liang Qinghua also to some extent proves Jin Wei's idea. She told reporters that she had indeed seen many habitats for domestic swallows by the West Lake. It is not surprising that swallows gather in groups at their doorstep to eat.

While the swallows have not yet migrated south, why not find a time to walk by the West Lake; Looking up at the sky, perhaps you can have a beautiful encounter with them.