Like many people, I use the Merlin app to help train my ear to recognise bird calls. This morning the app alerted me to a bird I’d never even heard of, let alone seen: the violet-green swallow. Apparently this passerine is pretty common, with a wide range through all of the western North American continent. It’s a cavity nester, laying eggs in tree holes as well as cracks in cliffs. I hope I get to see one while they’re here for breeding season.