Palina

My name is Palina, I am an ESC-volunteer in BIOM and I would say that my winged relative or spirit bird (call it whatever you like :)) is a Barn swallow or Hirunda rustica as it comes in Latin. This little bird is quite social, it usually nests in groups and close to people’s houses, and I likewise enjoy being with my friends and family. Swallows are hardworking and always busy – they even feed on the wing! – just as I try not to waste time in vain and always look for things to do and to learn.

Another feature that we have in common is passion for traveling. Barn swallows are incorrigible wanderers, they spend winters in parts of Central and South America, and have been found as far south as Argentina — astonishing thousands of kilometers away. Yet, they always come back home and even like to reuse their nests year after year. So, one can even say they recycle – which also goes for me.  

Swallow’s migration and yearly re-appearance usually fall at the winter’s end. They seem to bring spring with them and thus, these birds are perceived as a symbol of luck and positive change. And I as well try to put efforts into making the world around me a better place.