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It's been a long time since I have seen a bank swallow or a cliff swallow,
and barn swallows are now something I see less than once a year. When I was
young, chimney swifts and nighthawks were also not very remarkable,
particularly in the inland parts of Yarmouth county.
Part of the reduction in observations may be due to various other
activities, which tend to preoccupy me, but we all know that aerial
insectivores are down from a decade or so ago.
That said, life is no less preoccupying this spring, and I seem to be seeing
a lot more tree swallows than usual, down in the Banana Belt. This is one
of those times I wish I had followed Jamed Hirtle's lead and quantified
anything, but that ain't gonna happen.
Just wondering, though. 2013 is starting to sound like a good year for
swifts. How do the rest of us find tree swallows this year?
From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
On Behalf Of Blake Maybank
Sent: June-01-13 9:45 AM
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Sandy Lake (near Tantallon, HRM) bank swallow colony
?
On Fri, May 17, 2013 at 6:16 AM, Dusan Soudek <soudekd@ns.sympatico.ca>
wrote:
But this trenching seems to have stopped years ago, the vertical surfaces
gradually disappeared, and so have the nesting swallows. I doubt very much
that motorized vehicles are to blame. Does anyone on NatureNS have any
information on the above bank swallow colony and on former steps to maintain
it?
Dusan Soudek
The site was reasonably well-protected by Bowater, with large boulders in
place that made it awkward for ATV access, and warning signs (since gone,
though the boulders remain).
Despite these precautions the colony declined in size, concurrent with the
decline in swallows across the province. I do not believe the ATVs were
much to blame. I saw 8 birds at the colony in 2005, and a single bird in
2006. None since, though I saw a single bird over Sandy Lake in 2008.
The piles of sawdust have been used through the years by one or two pair of
kingfishers as well, though I haven't checked recently.
Cheers,
Blake
--
Blake Maybank <mailto:bmaybank@gmail.com>
White's Lake, Nova Scotia
My Blog: <http://blakemaybank.com> CSI: Life
Organiser, <http://tinyurl.com/naturetravel> Maritimes Nature Travel Club
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=3DEN-CA link=3Dblue =
vlink=3Dpurple><div class=3DWordSection1><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'>It’s been a long time since I have seen a bank swallow or a =
cliff swallow, and barn swallows are now something I see less than once =
a year. When I was young, chimney swifts and nighthawks were also =
not very remarkable, particularly in the inland parts of Yarmouth =
county. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'>Part of the reduction in observations may be due to various =
other activities, which tend to preoccupy me, but we all know that =
aerial insectivores are down from a decade or so ago. =
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'>That said, life is no less preoccupying this spring, and I seem to be =
seeing a lot more tree swallows than usual, down in the Banana =
Belt. This is one of those times I wish I had followed Jamed =
Hirtle’s lead and quantified anything, but that ain’t gonna =
happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'>Just wondering, though. 2013 is starting to sound like a good =
year for swifts. How do the rest of us find tree swallows this =
year? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497=
D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=3DMsoNormal><b><span =
lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span>=
</b><span lang=3DEN-US =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> =
naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] =
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Blake Maybank<br><b>Sent:</b> June-01-13 9:45 =
AM<br><b>To:&l