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Index of Subjects I think that the problem might be that bunches of individual birds might go through at once, getting lumped together as a single count. A more accurate way might be simply to take a digital video of the birds (if there is enough light — or try IR), and then sit down and count frame-by-frame, using that most marvelous of cybernetic devices, the human brain. It might seem tedious to some, but after all, looking at birds is the game. Audubon wrote an account of a large, hollow tree used by thousands of swifts. Since reading that years ago, I have always wondered if one could not build a swift nesting-facility or "dedicated chimney," just for the birds. On May 22, 2008, at 8:01 PM, David & Alison Webster wrote: > I may have broached this previously but I wonder if some scrap > electronic parts could be combined to produce an event (i.e. bird > passing through) counter. Does someone on the list happen to have a > hoard of electronic scrap and know-how (time to burn would help > also) ? > Yt, DW > > James W. Wolford wrote: > >> "Counting" is a ball-park guess by counting by tens approximately >> as they descend into the chimney. Imagine the difficulty when >> there are 2300, 500, 900!! (which we had once back in 1989? in >> Wolfville). Counting less than 100 is quite easy, and even up to >> 300 or so when they go in gradually. It's on nights when all the >> entries are at once that you have a severe challenge! It also >> helps to have more than one observer, and then take the average. >> >> Marg, I'd like to know more about what you said about the church in >> Liverpool. Can you provide dates and more info' on how the access >> to the chimney was prevented? >> >> >> Thanks from Jim in Wolfville >> >> Begin forwarded message: >> >> >>> From: "Margaret E.Millard" <mmillard@eastlink.ca <mailto:mmillard@eastlink.ca >>> > > >>> >>> Date: May 22, 2008 10:32:21 AM ADT >>> >>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> >>> >>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] 81 chimney swifts in Wolfville May 20/08 >>> >>> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> >>> >>> >>> I am so glad to hear about the swifts. I used to sit on the >>> veranda rail at home and watch them circle around and around then >>> funnel down into the chimney at the church behind my grandmother's >>> house in Liverpool. When the chimney was made inaccessible, I was >>> outraged and so disappointed even as a child. >>> >>> Question? How does one count that many birds? Is it close to an >>> actual count, as you say here, or a guestimate from experience? I >>> see four birds, I can count them, I see 10 I know I am recounting >>> and then after that I sort of figure this many........mourning >>> doves are the exception around here. They line up and lay around. >>> >>> http://margmillard.ca >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "James W. Wolford" < jimwolford@eastlink.ca >>> <mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca> > >>> >>> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca <mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> >>> >;Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 1:40 AM >>> >>> Subject: [NatureNS] 81 chimney swifts in Wolfville May 20/08 >>> >>> >>> >>>> MAY 20, 2008 - Harold Forsyth and I checked out the CHIMNEY >>>> SWIFTS at >>>> >>>> dusk at Wolfville's Robie Tufts Nature Centre, observing there from >>>> >>>> 8:30 to 9:05 p.m. (Sunset time 8:41). Again the swifts flew about >>>> >>>> for a long time before the substantial flock of 80 SWIFTS all >>>> went in >>>> >>>> at 9:00. Then a single laggard swift entered the chimney by itself >>>> >>>> at 9:03 after some very erratic manoeuvers in the air. Thus we >>>> had a >>>> >>>> seemingly accurate TOTAL OF 81 SWIFTS. If memory serves, and >>>> since >>>> >>>> we are early in the migration period, this number bodes well for >>>> >>>> having substantially more swifts this year than our best totals for >>>> >>>> one night of about 80 for the past two seasons (and Hurricane Wilma >>>> >>>> of late autumn of 2005 gets the blame. >>>> >>>> >>>> Cheers from Jim in Wolfville, 542-9204 >>>> >>>> >>> >> > >
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