[NatureNS] re hurricane and ?? swallows? -- was Londonderry

Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:20:39 -0300
From: "Margaret E.Millard" <mmillard@eastlink.ca>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <F47B8B8CE5F14763ABF88C728D6491C7@oldcoot3>
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Yes, that's probably the name of the storm. It was Halloween week that I 
walked our Summerville Beach kicking up the seaweed to chase up flies so the 
swallows could get something to eat. They followed me through the marsh and 
down on the sand grabbing what flies that I kicked up. Each day there were 
fewer and fewer and the 5th day one bird would fly up from the dune and drop 
back in and after a bit there would be another attempt. I simply couldn't go 
in there and take photos. I had photos from the first day when they were 
wheeling over head, then the second.......It was heart breaking. It was the 
same week we had cuckoos dropping all around the headland and even in my own 
yard, one actually fell from the sky and flopped about in the yard in front 
of my work window. We had already had a hard frost so insects were a 
premium.  I called Canadian wildlife and was told it was happening in a 
number of places and nothing we could do but hope the numbers would 
eventually recover. The year after we had a solitary swallow  then the next 
there were three but no young. Last year there were three and 4 young. This 
year we wait to see but I haven't had this number (after migration) as were 
here in the morning, not in the 19 years. Maybe they are juveniles......I 
was happy to see them. Today when I was home it was very quiet. I wonder 
what tomorrow will bring
http://margmillard.ca
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:45 PM
Subject: [NatureNS] re hurricane and ?? swallows? -- was Londonderry 
Breeding Bird


> Are you referring to Hurricane Wilma in late Oct. & Nov. of 2005,
> associated with a drop of many hundreds of chimney swifts and yellow-
> billed cuckoos, as I recall -- see the past Nova Scotia Birds
> newsletter with the dying? swifts on the cover.  Cheers? from Jim in
> Wolfville.
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: "Margaret E.Millard" <mmillard@eastlink.ca>
>> Date: June 16, 2009 8:56:16 PM ADT
>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] re rare swallows -- was Londonderry
>> Breeding Bird
>> Reply-To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
>>
>> I think last summer there were successful nests and maybe that
>> brought numbers up. Still none lining the power lines but it is
>> good to see more than one then three as in the years since that
>> horrid Halloween when they died  on Summerville beach after being
>> driven back up here due to hurricane ..Rita?)
>> I could help you with Chickadees. cute as they are, I have plenty.
>> http://margmillard.ca
>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Stern"
>> <sternrichard@gmail.com>
>> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2009 6:57 PM
>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] re rare swallows -- was Londonderry
>> Breeding Bird
>>
>>
>>> Hi,
>>> I know one shouldn't extrapolate from single observer impressions,
>>> but
>>> around here I feel that this summer Swallows have bounced back
>>> somewhat. We
>>> nearly always have a few Tree and Barn Swallows flying around
>>> above our
>>> property, and the other day there were at lest 50 Bank Swallows -
>>> presumably
>>> there was a flock of flying insects. I have seen reasonable
>>> numbers of
>>> Swallows this summer elsewhere in Kings Co., including at the
>>> Pt.Williams
>>> sewage ponds. The bird that seems to be missing around here this
>>> summer is
>>> the Black-capped Chickadee! I can only find very few.
>>>
>>> Richard
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
> 


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