* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
When the heat of spring arrives is when the swallow begins to build its nests, made of mud, like the ones we can see portrayed for Las Fotos de los Lectores in La Vanguardia in Vic, in Osona.
In order to complete the nest, swallows can spend more than a thousand trips in search of their materials.
The curious thing is that, traditionally, having a swallow's nest is considered to bring good luck and happiness to the home where they have settled.
One of the origins of this belief is found in seafaring. When sailors saw this bird at sea, it meant that they were close to the coast and, therefore, that they would return home safely.
The swallow is a bird that can indicate the arrival of spring. And it is that it usually begins to be seen between April and May, when temperatures begin to rise and it begins to flower.
Swallows lay between 5 and 6 eggs, which remain in the nest for an average of 22 days. Although the swallow is considered a monogamous bird, the male must be insistent in courtship so that the female does not break this relationship.
One of the elements that conditions females to establish contact with males is the length of their tails: the longer they are, the more likely they are to establish a relationship with a breeding female, since it is a symbol of longevity and good health.
