Parys has always been known for its iconic tourist attractions. Not least the migratory swallows that appear annually at this
time of the year and return to nests under the bridge over the Vaal River as you drive from Parys towards Potchefstroom. This year there isn’t a swallow to be seen.

Their nests have been totally removed. Only the cement girders and support spanning the entire length of the bridge remain of what was once a thriving colony of more than 500 swallows’ nesting places.

The delight in watching these amazing little aeronaughts dipping, skimming and weaving has been taken from us.

Our children will no longer watch in awe the amazing arrival and departure of these tiny migratory birds.

How sad that someone has decimated this unique ecosystem.

Swallows fly every year from Europe to South Africa to nest and breed. Sometimes flying amazing
distances in order to reach their destination.

The nests are returned to year after year – sometimes for more than 50 years by the same flight of swallows, and a breeding pair would instinctively return regularly to their own nest amongst the hundreds of nests that were under the bridge.

Migratory birds are already severely compromised when migrating due to climate change and severe storms etc.

Now, when (or if) theyreturn, they will find nothing but bare concrete – their nests completely and thoughtlessly destroyed. Their precious ecosystem cruelly removed.

It can take a pair of swallows more than two months to build a new nest, painstakingly carrying one tiny ball of mud at a time
in their beaks and then moulding it to form a new nest. These swallows will now be faced with less time to raise a brood, teach the young fledglings to fly, hunt, prepare and be strong enough for their long and dangerous migration back to the United Kingdom.

• Residents are of the opinion that the homeless staying under bridges could have been responsible for the removal of the nests, but the ecological impact ofthe loss of these swallows’ homes is of unquestionable cruelty.
• Remember Feather Bird Club’s next meeting on October 24 at 18;30 at Sally Martin Park where Guan and Anansa Dreyer
  will be doing a presentation. Everybody welcome.