Last week when I was traveling to Aichi Bunkyo University to teach my graduate courses, I was almost attacked at the train station. A swallow, for me we called these barn swallows growing up, flew right over my head. I was inside the station.
That station has a sort of Metro type center that on one end is actually like the open mouth of a very large cave. It is very tall, and open, and you can walk in from the street level. There is even a bicycle path down the middle.
Anyway, as I exited the turnstiles, the bird dipped right by my head, but came up abruptly and landed on top of one of the hanging “EXIT” signs. There was a next there, and as the bird landed, 3 little heads came out.
That sign is maybe about 9 feet off the ground and directly in the center of the underground station.
I tried to take a couple of photos quickly with my phone, but they weren’t very good:
People were looking at me a little funny, or funnier than usual, and I was rushing to get to the shuttle bus.
Anyway, this week when I returned, there was actually a small barricade set up under the sign, and the baby birds were already much bigger. I tried to get a few more and better photos this time.
