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--Boundary_(ID_/er6c4B2pV0+BBkIdKnGpg)
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Thanks, Judy! for recording this. Temp. at the time was cool at 11 =20
C. by my car. It's possible that they were exiting then from the =20
chimney, but in my experience when they do exit they don't hang =20
around the site but quickly disperse in all directions (no doubt to =20
later regroup via their chittering calls usually up high in the =20
sky). Rainy or mistly and cool weather often does bring them down to =20=
lower altitudes, and of course this flock may have been considering =20
ENTERING the chimney to rest during this weather in which foraging =20
was perhaps difficult. However, at the same time in Miner's Marsh in =20=
Kentville, a possibly still migrating flock of 10+ bank swallows was =20
acting as if there was food in the way of emerging flies/midges from =20
the freshwater flooded ponds adjacent to Elderkin's Brook, which =20
flows into the Cornwallis River there. Another point about not-so-=20
good weather is that apparently chimney swifts can even fly away from =20=
poor conditions, unless of course the cool mist is regionally very =20
widespread. Lots of food for thought, but we are well past that time =20=
of late Spring when, at long intervals of years or decades, the =20
swifts experience weather-related die-offs from long periods of a =20
week or more of cold, sleety, rainy whether in the last week of May =20
or very early June when the swifts are here but cannot forage at =20
all. Chimney swifts remarkably CAN GO TORPID for a few to several =20
days at a time, and I think I have read that nestling swifts likewise =20=
can enter torpidity, but long inclemency will cause massive die-offs =20
-- 1974 and 1990 were two such years, and the latter one was =20
apparently over much of northeastern North America.
Cheers? from Jim in Wolfville
------------------
On 13-Jun-11, at 1:33 PM, Judy Tufts wrote:
> At noon today =96 Monday - there was quite a display of Chimney =20
> Swifts chittering and swooping around over the centre of Wolfville =20=
> today . I counted at least 30 of them. One had to feel sorry =20
> for the poor birds trying to find insects =91 on the wing=92, as =20=
> there was a fine mist falling and the air was not warm. I am =20
> wondering if they delayed their departure from the Robie Tufts =20
> Nature Centre=92s chimney this morning until noon because of the =20
> weather and this flight was part of their endeavour to get out and =20
> start feeding.
>
> Cheers,
> Judy Tufts
>
>
>
> >>>>>>>>>>
> Judy Tufts
> Wolfville NS
> <<<<<<<<<<
>
> _______________________________________________
> Nature mailing list
> Nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca
> http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/mailman/listinfo/=20
> nature_blomidonnaturalists.ca
--Boundary_(ID_/er6c4B2pV0+BBkIdKnGpg)
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<html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; =
-webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">
Thanks, Judy! for recording this. Temp. at the time was cool at 11 =
C. by my car. It's possible that they were exiting then from the =
chimney, but in my experience when they do exit they don't hang around =
the site but quickly disperse in all directions (no doubt to later =
regroup via their chittering calls usually up high in the sky). =
Rainy or mistly and cool weather often does bring them down to =
lower altitudes, and of course this flock may have been considering =
ENTERING the chimney to rest during this weather in which foraging was =
perhaps difficult. However, at the same time in Miner's Marsh in =
Kentville, a possibly still migrating flock of 10+ bank swallows was =
acting as if there was food in the way of emerging flies/midges from the =
freshwater flooded ponds adjacent to Elderkin's Brook, which flows into =
the Cornwallis River there. Another point about not-so-good =
weather is that apparently chimney swifts can even fly away from poor =
conditions, unless of course the cool mist is regionally very =
widespread. Lots of food for thought, but we are well past that =
time of late Spring when, at long intervals of years or decades, the =
swifts experience weather-related die-offs from long periods of a week =
or more of cold, sleety, rainy whether in the last week of May or very =
early June when the swifts are here but cannot forage at all. =
Chimney swifts remarkably CAN GO TORPID for a few to several days =
at a time, and I think I have read that nestling swifts likewise can =
enter torpidity, but long inclemency will cause massive die-offs -- 1974 =
and 1990 were two such years, and the latter one was apparently over =
much of northeastern North America.<div><br></div><div>Cheers? from Jim =
in Wolfville</div><div>------------------<br><div><div>On 13-Jun-11, at =
1:33 PM, Judy Tufts wrote:</div><br =
class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote =
type=3D"cite"><o:smarttagtype =
namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" =
name=3D"State"> <o:smarttagtype =
namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name=3D"City">=
<o:smarttagtype =
namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" =
name=3D"place"> <o:smarttagtype =
namespaceuri=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" =
name=3D"PersonName"> <!--[if !mso]> <style> =
st1\:*{behavior:url(#default#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--> <style> =
<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal =
{margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; =
font-family:"Times New Roman";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink =
{color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, =
span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:purple; =
text-decoration:underline;} span.EmailStyle17 =
{mso-style-type:personal-compose; font-family:"Times New Roman"; =
color:windowtext; font-weight:normal; font-style:normal; =
text-decoration:none none;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; =
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} =
--> </style> <div class=3D"Section1"><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><font =
size=3D"2" face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D"font-size: 10.0pt">At =
noon today =96 Monday - there was quite a display of Chimney =
Swifts chittering and swooping around over the centre of Wolfville =
today . I counted at least 30 of them. One had =
to feel sorry for the poor birds trying to find insects =91 on the =
wing=92, as there was a fine mist falling and the air =
was not warm. I am wondering if they delayed their departure from =
the Robie Tufts Nature Centre=92s chimney this morning until noon =
because of the weather and this flight was part of their endeavour to =
get out and start feeding. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D"font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D"font-size: 10.0pt">Cheers, <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><st1:personname w:st=3D"on"><font size=3D"2" =
face=3D"Times New Roman"><span style=3D"font-size:10.0pt">Judy Tufts =
</span></font></st1:personname><font size=3D"2"><span =
style=3D"font-size:10.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D"font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D"font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D"font-size: 10.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Arial"><span =
style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; =
font-family:Arial">>>>>>>>>>></span></font><=
o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" =
face=3D"Arial"><span style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; =
font-family:Arial"> Judy Tufts</span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Arial"><span =
style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Arial"> <st1:place =
w:st=3D"on"><st1:city w:st=3D"on">Wolfville</st1:city> <st1:state =
w:st=3D"on">NS</st1:state></st1:place></span></font><o:p></o:p></p><p =
class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"2" face=3D"Arial"><span =
style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; =
font-family:Arial"><<<<<<<<<<</span></font><=
o:p> </o:p></p><p class=3D"MsoNormal"><font size=3D"3" face=3D"Times =
New Roman"><span style=3D"font-size: =
12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p> </div> =
</o:smarttagtype></o:smarttagtype></o:smarttagtype></o:smarttagtype><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; =
">_______________________________________________</div><div =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Nature mailing list</div><div style=3D"margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a =
href=3D"mailto:Nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">Nature@blomidonnaturalists.c=
a</a></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><a =
href=3D"http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/mailman/listinfo/nature_blomidonnatu=
ralists.ca">http://blomidonnaturalists.ca/mailman/listinfo/nature_blomidon=
naturalists.ca</a></div> </blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>=
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