Published:  15:44 Monday - April 16, 2012

Phuong Mai Island, which local people usually call Swallow Island (Yen Island), is located near Quy Nhon city, eastern Binh Dinh. It contains a mountain which looks like a dinosaur standing imposingly to defend strong winds and big waves.

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Not only creating a wonderful aquarelle picture, the nature also awards people here with a treasure that is swallow – an extremely specious specialty wanted worldwide.

Swallow Island has an interesting, fascinating landscape thank to ancient caves with hundreds - of - meters - high rock canopies, high and dangerous cave inner space which are suitable living places for swallows to build their nests

Come to Swallow Island in spring, people will have a chance to see flocks of swallow flying crowdedly in the sky and chirping to call each other. This kind of bird lives in flock but usually live in a couple.

According to document of researchers, there are two main types of swallow in the Quy Nhon Swallow Island: yen co (yến cỏ) và yen sao (yến sào). Yen co is bigger than yen sao, build their nests by using grass, junk from top of mountain. Yen sao is specious one which has small bodies like sparrow but flies strongly. They find the food by flying as well as catching the food on sea; they can fly continuously in ten hours without stopping.

The nests of yen sao are not made of grass but their saliva; each day they generate a little of saliva, pull this to make threads, crank threads to form nests. After a period, the nests are dry, looks like ears sticking to cave ceiling and cliffs. When finishing the nests to fit the body entirely, swallow starts to breed.

Visit Swallow Island, besides contemplating the charming scenery outside, tourists can also go further inside the cave to enjoy the majestic beauty created by the nature. On the cliffs, interfering with water drops, there are tiny white points; the scene looks like a summer night sky having a plenty of stars. The swallow nests are arranged tightly, making a long string; somewhere the swallows spread their wings and blow their breath to warm their children; sometimes there is a voice of young birds calling mothers to feed. The sound of waves, water dropping, wings flapping, swallow voice… all mix together, making up a strange rhythm that lets people feel like they are lost in a fairy place.

Translated by Minh.H.M