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This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0043_01CE5B2A.0A4919C0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I missed the official swift watch date yesterday while I watched flying = Mooseheads instead. So today I decided to do a penance and watch Cheryl = Rutledge's farmhouse on the first relatively dry day in what seem like = months. I got there early in case the Swifts had changed their habits = with the recent cold weather. It was cold, overcast and with a good 10km = wind from the east. Arriving at 8pm you could see immediately that today would be = different. Barn Swallows buzzed over the car before I had even got out, = there were flying insects about in some numbers and 4 swifts were in a = high orbit over the house. At least a dozen Red Wing Blackbirds were = clamoring from the pond. The swift numbers built up steadily and they = were vocal and flying in the the usual swirls. 8:23 the first swift dived into the chimney but there was along gap = before 9 more entered at 8:45. By 8:55 the procession was steady but the cloud of swifts was actually = getting bigger.=20 At 9:00pm 225 swifts crammed into the chimney in less than 3 minutes. = This is a relatively small chimney in a farmhouse - how do they do it? The last 3 laggards appeared at 9:10 well after all the others were = already roosting and entered without fuss.=20 It was very good to see one of those Hitchcock-like swarms again - I = didn't think that would happen this year of no spring. John Belbin - Hantsport. ------=_NextPart_000_0043_01CE5B2A.0A4919C0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dwindows-1252" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META name=3DGENERATOR content=3D"MSHTML 9.00.8112.16484"> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial> I missed the official swift watch = date=20 yesterday while I watched flying Mooseheads instead. So today I decided = to do a=20 penance and watch Cheryl Rutledge's farmhouse on the first relatively = dry day in=20 what seem like months. I got there early in case the Swifts had changed = their=20 habits with the recent cold weather. It was cold, overcast and with a = good 10km=20 wind from the east.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>Arriving at 8pm you could see = immediately=20 that today would be different. Barn Swallows buzzed over the car before = I had=20 even got out, there were flying insects about in some numbers and 4 = swifts were=20 in a high orbit over the house. At least a dozen Red Wing Blackbirds = were=20 clamoring from the pond. The swift numbers built up steadily and they = were vocal=20 and flying in the the usual swirls.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>8:23 the first swift dived into the = chimney but=20 there was along gap before 9 more entered at 8:45.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>By 8:55 the procession was steady but = the cloud of=20 swifts was actually getting bigger. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>At 9:00pm 225 swifts crammed into the = chimney in=20 less than 3 minutes. This is a relatively small chimney in a farmhouse - = how do=20 they do it?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>The last 3 laggards appeared at = 9:10 well=20 after all the others were already roosting and entered without fuss.=20 </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>It was very good to see one of those = Hitchcock-like=20 swarms again - I didn't think that would happen this year of no=20 spring.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=3D2 face=3DArial>John Belbin - = Hantsport.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0043_01CE5B2A.0A4919C0--
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