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--001a11c21116b7851304fdb80bd6 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Hi folks, Great story, Jim! Sounds like some good work for cameras again...we set one up at the library with a timer to begin just before dawn... Cheers, On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca> wrote: > > > Begin forwarded message: > > *From: *Jim Wolford <jimwolford@eastlink.ca > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','jimwolford@eastlink.ca');>> > *Subject: **109+ swifts EXITS, July 6/14, Robie Tufts N.Ctr., Wolfville, > 8:40 a.m.* > *Date: *July 6, 2014 at 11:23:34 AM ADT > *To: *jimwolford@eastlink.ca > <javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','jimwolford@eastlink.ca');> > > *JULY 6, 2014 *- With our power still out from yesterday, Pat & I drove > into downtown Wolfville for coffee to go with our breakfast cereal, but > nobody in town had power. However, we chanced to go by the Robie Tufts > Nature Centre chimney just when the *CHIMNEY SWIFTS WERE EXITING!! * Pat > was the one who noticed this,so we turned around and sat in the parking lot > to watch and count them, knowing that we had probably missed some before > our start, which was at *8:40 a.m.*, under clear blue sky with warm > temperature and very windy conditions. > > For those who have not observed these *morning exits*, the swifts come > out in little bursts of 1 to 5 or more swifts at a time, and each swift > pops out just over the rim and then out horizontally, not upward. The > bursts go in all directions, each swift dropping a bit at first and then > accelerating outward horizontally and out of sight, generally not lingering > in the area of the chimney. Also, usually all of the exits occur within a > few minutes of the beginning. > > Pat & I sat patiently, a few car lengths from the chimney, and counted > them one by one. *Our total was about 109+ swifts. * > > When I walked over to sign up our observation, I saw that either > yesterday's wind-storm or vandals (likely the former) took all of *our > observation sheets* away, leaving only one sheet to salvage. Luckily, I > have all the former information on the sheets copied in various e-mails and > in this journal, plus my ongoing 2014 summary of chimney swift observations > for the whole province. > > I might as well add here, again for those who haven't heard this from me, > that back in the "good old days", decades ago, back when I was younger and > more patient and tolerant of certain kinds of pain, I did a series of *morning > vigils* to see the swifts exit, both at the RTNC and University Hall > chimneys. I must look up those dates and write up what I found out about > the exits. (Currently also the Maritime SwiftWatch must have *exit data* > from the cameras installed in the Middleton and New Glasgow chimneys for > the past few years.) > > Basically, what I found out was that in most circumstances the swifts > emerge quite early in the morning. My vigils always began before first > light, and several times it happened that the first swift I detected was > not exiting but entering! (from where? and out for how long?). > > I recall *one occasion in 1989 or 1990*, when I was a celebrity for a > week and doing TV and radio interviews, because of the local "saving" of > the RTNC chimney by the town and the Blomidon Naturalists together. * > CBC-TV *sent Paul Withers and a cameraman, and one evening we watched and > filmed the "show" of the swifts gathering and funneling into the chimney. > > Then, maybe intentionally or because of the interview, Paul decided to > stay overnight and then hopefully film the morning exits. I guessed the > time for that at about 6 a.m.?, and, would you believe, out they came right > at the predicted time! I felt very powerful. The cameraman got very good > footage of this, but it was not part of the news report that evening, and > all that extra footage was erased by the time I inquired about it a few > days later. Lesson learned the hard way again. > > Now here's a bit more on the morning exit times. The factors involved are > unknown, but usually the exits occur sometime from sunrise up to about 9 > a.m. (like this morning), but it is not uncommon for the swifts to "sleep > in" until 11 a.m. or even to noon. > > Now try to imagine the pain and patience involved in beginning at about > 5:00 a.m., sitting in my car with a thermos of coffee, and just sitting > and watching the top of the chimney, waitng for some action, until the end > of the morning! YIPE! Nope, never again, so I'm very happy we blundered > into today's exit. > > *Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.* > > > -- James Churchill Kentville, Nova Scotia jameslchurchill@gmail.com (902) 681-2374 --001a11c21116b7851304fdb80bd6 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi folks,<div><br></div><div><span></span>Great story, Jim! Sounds like som= e good work for cameras again...we set one up at the library with= a timer to begin just before dawn...<div><br></div><div>Cheers,</div><div>= <br><br> On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, Jim Wolford <<a href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@east= link.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class=3D"gmai= l_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left= :1ex"> <div style=3D"word-wrap:break-word"><br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded messa= ge:</div><br><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div style=3D"margin-top:0px;margin-= right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px"><span style=3D"font-family:= 9;Helvetica';color:rgba(0,0,0,1.0)"><b>From: </b></span><span style=3D"= font-family:'Helvetica'">Jim Wolford <<a href=3D"javascript:_e(%= 7B%7D,'cvml','jimwolford@eastlink.ca');" target=3D"_blank">= jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>><br> </span></div><div style=3D"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0p= x;margin-left:0px"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';color:rgb= a(0,0,0,1.0)"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvet= ica'"><b>109+ swifts EXITS, July 6/14, Robie Tufts N.Ctr., Wolfville, 8= :40 a.m.</b><br> </span></div><div style=3D"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0p= x;margin-left:0px"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';color:rgb= a(0,0,0,1.0)"><b>Date: </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica= '">July 6, 2014 at 11:23:34 AM ADT<br> </span></div><div style=3D"margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0p= x;margin-left:0px"><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica';color:rgb= a(0,0,0,1.0)"><b>To: </b></span><span style=3D"font-family:'Helvetica&#= 39;"><a href=3D"javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','jimwolford@eastlin= k.ca');" target=3D"_blank">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a><br> </span></div><br><div><div style=3D"word-wrap:break-word"><div style=3D"mar= gin:0px"><b>JULY 6, 2014 </b>- With our power still out from yesterday, Pat= & I drove into downtown Wolfville for coffee to go with our breakfast = cereal, but nobody in town had power. However, we chanced to go by th= e Robie Tufts Nature Centre chimney just when the <b>CHIMNEY SWIFTS WERE EX= ITING!! </b> Pat was the one who noticed this,so we turned around and = sat in the parking lot to watch and count them, knowing that we had probabl= y missed some before our start, which was at <b>8:40 a.m.</b>, under clear = blue sky with warm temperature and very windy conditions.</div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">For those who have not observed these <b>morning exits</b>, the swifts c= ome out in little bursts of 1 to 5 or more swifts at a time, and each swift= pops out just over the rim and then out horizontally, not upward. Th= e bursts go in all directions, each swift dropping a bit at first and then = accelerating outward horizontally and out of sight, generally not lingering= in the area of the chimney. Also, usually all of the exits occur wit= hin a few minutes of the beginning.</div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">Pat & I sat patiently, a few car lengths from the chimney, and count= ed them one by one. <b>Our total was about 109+ swifts. </b></d= iv><div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"> <br></div><div style=3D"margin:0px">When I walked over to sign up our obser= vation, I saw that either yesterday’s wind-storm or vandals (likely t= he former) took all of <b>our observation sheets</b> away, leaving only one= sheet to salvage. Luckily, I have all the former information on the = sheets copied in various e-mails and in this journal, plus my ongoing 2014 = summary of chimney swift observations for the whole province.</div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">I might as well add here, again for those who haven’t heard this f= rom me, that back in the “good old days”, decades ago, back whe= n I was younger and more patient and tolerant of certain kinds of pain, I d= id a series of <b>morning vigils</b> to see the swifts exit, both at the RT= NC and University Hall chimneys. I must look up those dates and write= up what I found out about the exits. (Currently also the Maritime Sw= iftWatch must have <b>exit data</b> from the cameras installed in the Middl= eton and New Glasgow chimneys for the past few years.)</div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">Basically, what I found out was that in most circumstances the swifts em= erge quite early in the morning. My vigils always began before first = light, and several times it happened that the first swift I detected was no= t exiting but entering! (from where? and out for how long?). </div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">I recall <b>one occasion in 1989 or 1990</b>, when I was a celebrity for= a week and doing TV and radio interviews, because of the local “savi= ng” of the RTNC chimney by the town and the Blomidon Naturalists toge= ther. <b> CBC-TV </b>sent Paul Withers and a cameraman, and one evenin= g we watched and filmed the “show” of the swifts gathering and = funneling into the chimney.</div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">Then, maybe intentionally or because of the interview, Paul decided to s= tay overnight and then hopefully film the morning exits. I gues= sed the time for that at about 6 a.m.?, and, would you believe, out they ca= me right at the predicted time! I felt very powerful. The camer= aman got very good footage of this, but it was not part of the news report = that evening, and all that extra footage was erased by the time I inquired = about it a few days later. Lesson learned the hard way again.</div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">Now here’s a bit more on the morning exit times. The factors= involved are unknown, but usually the exits occur sometime from sunrise up= to about 9 a.m. (like this morning), but it is not uncommon for the swifts= to “sleep in” until 11 a.m. or even to noon. </div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><br></div><div style=3D"margin:0p= x">Now try to imagine the pain and patience involved in beginning at about = 5:00 a.m., sitting in my car with a thermos of coffee, and just sitti= ng and watching the top of the chimney, waitng for some action, until the e= nd of the morning! YIPE! Nope, never again, so I’m very h= appy we blundered into today’s exit. </div> <div style=3D"margin:0px;min-height:14px"><div style=3D"margin:0px"><br></d= iv><div style=3D"margin:0px"><b>Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.</b></div></di= v></div></div></blockquote></div><br></div></blockquote></div></div><br><br= >-- <br> <div dir=3D"ltr">James Churchill<br>Kentville, Nova Scotia<br><a href=3D"ma= ilto:jameslchurchill@gmail.com" target=3D"_blank">jameslchurchill@gmail.com= </a><br>(902) 681-2374<br><br><br><br></div><br> --001a11c21116b7851304fdb80bd6--
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