[NatureNS] flying anta on the NW Arm

From: "Jean Timpa" <jtimpa@ns.sympatico.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2007 09:43:48 -0300
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Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
Original-Recipient: rfc822;"| (cd /csuite/info/Environment/FNSN/MList; /csuite/lib/arch2html)"

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	What you are witnessing is truly one of nature's great sights in 
Nova Scotia , as far as I am concerned. In the early 1960's in August, about 
the 15th to 20th, I'd say now, small red flying ants emerged in Bear River 
late one afternoon and evening, until the sky was so filled with their swarms 
that we were literally choking on them. We couldn't stay inside, wanting to 
photograph as much of this occasion as possible, and watching in 
fascination as they came spiralling out of the ground.They all spiralled in 
the same direction, too, and I think it was counter clockwise?  Would that 
be correct in this hemisphere? Just like tiny minature, living tornados. We 
have an old farm house on the Annapolis side of the river, and we often 
look across to the setting sun on the Digby side. The scene that evening 
against the sun was just like out of a movie, it was so surreal. It looked like 
the town was on fire with the rising smoke, which in fact were the rising 
swarms. Had every ant been numbered I am sure there were a billion there 
that night without exaggeration. The migrating nighthawks and swallows 
and swifts filled the skies that evening, too, as well as other birds aroused 
by the sudden super abundant food supply. After awhile the ants come 
back to earth and bite off their wings and start new colonies, but I am not 
sure if that makes them all queens. We have witnessed this phenomena 
other times, but it was never so spectacular as it was that evenig. 
	Another late afternoon/evening we were coming out of the great 
forest, now gone, from a week of trout fishing, and 9th Lake became 
covered from shore to shore in ant bodies. At first the trout were jumping 
and biting very well,  but they soon became full, and nothing would tempt 
them, as they were too satisfied. The only water visible on the lake was the 
trail which our canoe left, as it parted the biomass floating on top of it. The 
bow and sides of the canoe were covered in bodies, making it disgusting to 
handle and portage!  Other times we witnessed great hatching of mayflies 
of various sorts, sometimes small and green or larger and black. Many 
forms of insect life are notorius for their very high and very low cyclic 
populations, so in another few year you may not see any such swarming 
events, or there will be so few you will not even notice them. JET in 
Wolfville 

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