Celebrating the return of our Swallow [not wine gulps! Northern Rough Winged Swallow]

Celebrating the Return of Northern Rough-winged Swallows: Our Vineyard’s Biodynamic Crew

Northern Rough-winged Swallows typically arrive on Vancouver Island in early to mid-April as part of their spring migration. They breed in the region during the warmer months and can be seen around open water, riverbanks, and sandy or gravelly areas where they nest in burrows. Their numbers peak in late spring and summer before they migrate south in early fall.
The Northern Rough Winged Swallow adorns our Estate label. These swallows are endemic to our area and frequent our vineyard. Each year we celebrate their arrival.

For us,they are not only our friends but part of our biodynamic crew. Swallows will only live in areas that have biodynamic balance and they are indeed an important part of our balance here at 40 Knots Vineyard. As part of our crew, they are an excellent bug predator, and unlike other birds, they never harm our grapes. 40 Knots Vineyard is surrounded by farming land and swallows always nest near other farm animals.

When you are here, you will see the vineyard spotted with swallow bird houses we have built to keep them safe and give them a home to return to every year.  Swallows are also song birds, and in keeping a balance, it is believed that sound vibrations are important to vine health. Italy has been piping out opera to their vines for many years, and they have shown that the vines closer to the music are the healthiest in the vineyard. At 40 Knots, we do indeed have music in our vineyard terrace for not only our guests to enjoy but also to bring balance to our vineyard.

Come see for yourself on a WineWednesday and tour our interpretive trail. 40 Knots is just a stone’s throw away from the Salish Sea. Our land was created by the glacier, and so our soil is glacier till. The rich salt air flows through our vines, keeping them healthy, aerated, and strong, and the salt air imbeds our oak, providing beautiful aging that cannot be accomplished in dry regions. While walking the interpretive trail or sipping on our vineyard terrace or balcony, you can hear the swallows singing alongside the sea lion’s barking the arrival of the new day.

Swallows are important friends of sailors and are believed to be a good omen.  Sailors will often get a swallow tattoo to show off their sailing experience.  According to one legend, one swallow symbolizes successful journeys adding up to 5,000 nautical miles, two swallows symbolize 10,000 nautical miles, and so on.  Another legend is that since swallows always return to the same land each year to mate and nest, the swallow will guarantee that the sailor returns home safely.  Sailors also believe that if they were to drown, the swallow would carry their soul to heaven.

40 Knots believes that all of us have the right to love and be loved.  We believe that we are all equal, and we share in the responsibility to support this belief.  Even our swallows live with this same belief.  The female and male swallows not only look almost identical, but they also share in all the responsibilities of the daily chores and protecting their family.  Once they mate, they remain, which is another quality we give great importance to:  loyalty to our community, our family, our friends, and our environment.