[NatureNS] chimney swift nests-check your barns!

From: David & Alison Webster <dwebster@glinx.com>
To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
References: <E0499E1F-0A00-4C40-9E23-55A93124CE98@eastlink.ca>
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 21:02:47 -0300
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Return-Path: <naturens-mml-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
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Hi Donna & All,                                        July 12, 2014
    Quoting your e-mail of July 11--
"The potential of launching a citizen science project on verifying the =
presence of chimney swift nests on the walls of barns and out-buildings =
has been discussed and may take off one day. "=20

    This sounds like an excellent idea. The fact that they are using old =
barns in East Dalhousie & Cherryfield, where I would suppose there are =
lots of old trees nearby, suggests to me that natural nesting sites are =
not as abundant as Rick indicated in 2012. --
    May 4, 2012; "I know our Swifts are in trouble but I'm not convinced =
that nesting
sites is the primary concern, speaking strictly about NS.
Rick Whitman"

    Wooden barns and lumberman's shanties will become less common over =
time so I continue to wonder if it would not be desirable to experiment =
with low-budget artificial nesting sites. If numbers in communal roosts =
during the nesting period are more than trivial would this not indicate =
a shortage of nesting sites, at least i the vicinity of the communal =
roost ?=20

Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
  ----- Original Message -----  =20
  From: Donna Crossland=20
  To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  Sent: Friday, July 11, 2014 10:49 PM
  Subject: [NatureNS] chimney swift nests-check your barns!


  Hi Jim and all:

  =20

  This evening I discovered chimney swifts nesting once again in my =
parents' barn hay loft in East Dalhousie.  About a month ago I saw a =
pair of swifts flying very low over the house and barn.  We used to have =
chimney swifts nesting on the wall of our barn hay loft over several =
years (as Jim knows, since he visited them and observed them often), but =
the last couple of years the hayloft window was closed.   This year I =
was prompted to have the window reopened when I saw the swifts seemingly =
scouting out the area. =20

  =20

  On the way home this evening, I checked another barn in neighbouring =
Cherryfield, and was informed about a swift nest on that hayloft wall =
that contained eggs last week, now hatched!   I know of at least two =
other barns last year in the vicinity that contained chimney swift nests =
last year.   I have no news on those other barns yet this year, but will =
investigate.  It seems that July, rather than June, is the month when =
Chimney swifts consistently get down to nesting.  As Jim has previously =
pointed out, those swifts roosting in town chimneys right now are =
clearly not "parents"!

  =20

  The potential of launching a citizen science project on verifying the =
presence of chimney swift nests on the walls of barns and out-buildings =
has been discussed and may take off one day.  Meanwhile, having folks =
check out old barns where birds may have access to haylofts would be a =
fascinating  preliminary endeavour.  The swifts like to place their nest =
high up on barn walls, the tiny sticks "glued" (with spit, ha!) to rough =
barn boards.    The tiny nests can be difficult to spot without a =
flashlight!

  =20

  It would be great if other naturalists on this list would check out =
old barns right now.  Where else are chimney swifts nesting?  =20

  =20

  Donna Crossland

  =20

  =20

  =20

  From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca =
[mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] On Behalf Of Jim Wolford
  Sent: July-08-14 2:46 PM
  To: naturens
  Subject: [NatureNS] 109+ swifts EXITS [long], July 6/14, Robie Tufts =
N.Ctr., Wolfville, 8:40 a.m.

  =20

  =20

  =20

  Begin forwarded message:





  From: Jim Wolford <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

  =20

  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.

  =20

  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.

  =20

  Pat & I sat patiently, a few car lengths from the chimney, and counted =
them one by one.  Our total was about 109+ swifts. =20

  =20

  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.

  =20

  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.)

  =20

  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?). =20

  =20

  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.

  =20

  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.

  =20

  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. =20

  =20

  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. =20

  =20

  Cheers from Jim in Wolfville.

  =20

  No virus found in this message.
  Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
  Version: 2014.0.4716 / Virus Database: 3986/7829 - Release Date: =
07/10/14

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<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt">Hi=20
Donna &amp; All,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; July 12,=20
2014</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
Quoting your e-mail of July 11--</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt">"The=20
potential of launching a citizen science project on verifying the =
presence of=20
chimney swift nests on the walls of barns and out-buildings has been =
discussed=20
and may take off one day.&nbsp;" </SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt"></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
This sounds like an excellent idea. The fact that they are using old =
barns in=20
East Dalhousie &amp; Cherryfield, where I would suppose there are lots =
of old=20
trees nearby, suggests to me that natural nesting sites are not as =
abundant as=20
Rick indicated in 2012. --</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
May 4, 2012; "<FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D3>I know our Swifts are in =
trouble but=20
I'm not convinced that nesting<BR>sites is the primary concern, speaking =

strictly about NS.<BR>Rick Whitman"</FONT><BR></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt"><FONT=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DArial>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Wooden barns =
and lumberman's=20
shanties will become less common over time so I continue to wonder if it =
would=20
not be desirable to experiment with low-budget&nbsp;artificial nesting =
sites.=20
</FONT></SPAN><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt"><FONT=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DArial>If numbers in communal roosts =
during the nesting=20
period are more than trivial would this not indicate a shortage of =
nesting=20
sites, at least i the vicinity of the communal roost ? =
</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt"><FONT=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DArial></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN=20
style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: =
11pt"><FONT=20
color=3D#000000 size=3D3 face=3DArial>Yt, Dave Webster, =
Kentville</FONT></DIV></SPAN>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; =
PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"=20
dir=3Dltr>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message =
-----&nbsp;&nbsp; </DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
  <A title=3Ddcrossland@eastlink.ca =
href=3D"mailto:dcrossland@eastlink.ca">Donna=20
  Crossland</A> </DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Dnaturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  href=3D"mailto:naturens@chebucto.ns.ca">naturens@chebucto.ns.ca</A> =
</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, July 11, 2014 =
10:49=20
PM</DIV>
  <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] chimney =
swift=20
  nests-check your barns!</DIV>
  <DIV><BR></DIV>
  <DIV class=3DWordSection1>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Hi=20
  Jim and all:<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt">This=20
  evening I discovered chimney swifts nesting once again in my =
parents=92 barn hay=20
  loft in East Dalhousie.&nbsp; About a month ago I saw a pair of swifts =
flying=20
  very low over the house and barn.&nbsp; We used to have chimney swifts =
nesting=20
  on the wall of our barn hay loft over several years (as Jim knows, =
since he=20
  visited them and observed them often), but the last couple of years =
the=20
  hayloft window was closed.&nbsp; &nbsp;This year I was prompted to =
have the=20
  window reopened when I saw the swifts seemingly scouting out the =
area.&nbsp;=20
  <o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt">On=20
  the way home this evening, I checked another barn in neighbouring =
Cherryfield,=20
  and was informed about a swift nest on that hayloft wall that =
contained eggs=20
  last week, now hatched!&nbsp;&nbsp; I know of at least two other barns =
last=20
  year in the vicinity that contained chimney swift nests last =
year.&nbsp;=20
  &nbsp;I have no news on those other barns yet this year, but will=20
  investigate.&nbsp; It seems that July, rather than June, is the month =
when=20
  Chimney swifts consistently get down to nesting.&nbsp; As Jim has =
previously=20
  pointed out, those swifts roosting in town chimneys right now are =
clearly not=20
  =93parents=94!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The=20
  potential of launching a citizen science project on verifying the =
presence of=20
  chimney swift nests on the walls of barns and out-buildings has been =
discussed=20
  and may take off one day.&nbsp; Meanwhile, having folks check out old =
barns=20
  where birds may have access to haylofts would be a fascinating=20
  &nbsp;preliminary endeavour.&nbsp; The swifts like to place their nest =
high up=20
  on barn walls, the tiny sticks =93glued=94 (with spit, ha!) to rough =
barn=20
  boards.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;The tiny nests can be difficult to spot =
without a=20
  flashlight!<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt">It=20
  would be great if other naturalists on this list would check out old =
barns=20
  right now.&nbsp; Where else are chimney swifts nesting?&nbsp;=20
  &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Donna=20
  Crossland<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; COLOR: #1f497d; =
FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></SPAN></P>
  <DIV>
  <DIV=20
  style=3D"BORDER-BOTTOM: medium none; BORDER-LEFT: medium none; =
PADDING-BOTTOM: 0cm; PADDING-LEFT: 0cm; PADDING-RIGHT: 0cm; BORDER-TOP: =
#b5c4df 1pt solid; BORDER-RIGHT: medium none; PADDING-TOP: 3pt">
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt"=20
  lang=3DEN-US>From:</SPAN></B><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; FONT-SIZE: 10pt" =
lang=3DEN-US>=20
  naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca] =
<B>On=20
  Behalf Of </B>Jim Wolford<BR><B>Sent:</B> July-08-14 2:46 =
PM<BR><B>To:</B>=20
  naturens<BR><B>Subject:</B> [NatureNS] 109+ swifts EXITS [long], July =
6/14,=20
  Robie Tufts N.Ctr., Wolfville, 8:40 =
a.m.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P></DIV></DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>Begin forwarded message:<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><BR><BR><o:p></o:p></P>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">From: </SPAN></B><SPAN =

  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Jim Wolford &lt;<A=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</A>&gt;</SP=
AN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Subject: 109+ swifts =
EXITS, July=20
  6/14, Robie Tufts N.Ctr., Wolfville, 8:40 =
a.m.</SPAN></B><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN=20
  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">Date: </SPAN></B><SPAN =

  style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'">July 6, 2014 at =
11:23:34 AM=20
  ADT</SPAN><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: =
'Helvetica','sans-serif'">To:=20
  </SPAN></B><SPAN style=3D"FONT-FAMILY: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'"><A=20
  =
href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</A></SPAN><=
o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P>
  <DIV>
  <DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B>JULY 6, 2014 </B>- With our power still out =
from=20
  yesterday, Pat &amp; I drove into downtown Wolfville for coffee to go =
with our=20
  breakfast cereal, but nobody in town had power.&nbsp; However, we =
chanced to=20
  go by the Robie Tufts Nature Centre chimney just when the <B>CHIMNEY =
SWIFTS=20
  WERE EXITING!!&nbsp;</B> Pat was the one who noticed this,so we turned =
around=20
  and sat in the parking lot to watch and count them, knowing that we =
had=20
  probably missed some before our start, which was at <B>8:40 a.m.</B>, =
under=20
  clear blue sky with warm temperature and very windy=20
  conditions.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>For those who have not observed these <B>morning =
exits</B>,=20
  the swifts come out in little bursts of 1 to 5 or more swifts at a =
time, and=20
  each swift pops out just over the rim and then out horizontally, not=20
  upward.&nbsp; The bursts go in all directions, each swift dropping a =
bit at=20
  first and then accelerating outward horizontally and out of sight, =
generally=20
  not lingering in the area of the chimney.&nbsp; Also, usually all of =
the exits=20
  occur within a few minutes of the beginning.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>Pat &amp; I sat patiently, a few car lengths from =
the=20
  chimney, and counted them one by one.&nbsp; <B>Our total was about =
109+=20
  swifts. &nbsp;</B><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>When I walked over to sign up our observation, I =
saw that=20
  either yesterday=92s wind-storm or vandals (likely the former) took =
all of=20
  <B>our observation sheets</B> away, leaving only one sheet to =
salvage.&nbsp;=20
  Luckily, I have all the former information on the sheets copied in =
various=20
  e-mails and in this journal, plus my ongoing 2014 summary of chimney =
swift=20
  observations for the whole province.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>I might as well add here, again for those who =
haven=92t heard=20
  this from me, that back in the =93good old days=94, decades ago, back =
when I was=20
  younger and more patient and tolerant of certain kinds of pain, I did =
a series=20
  of <B>morning vigils</B> to see the swifts exit, both at the RTNC and=20
  University Hall chimneys.&nbsp; I must look up those dates and write =
up what I=20
  found out about the exits.&nbsp; (Currently also the Maritime =
SwiftWatch must=20
  have <B>exit data</B> from the cameras installed in the Middleton and =
New=20
  Glasgow chimneys for the past few years.)<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>Basically, what I found out was that in most =
circumstances=20
  the swifts emerge quite early in the morning.&nbsp; My vigils always =
began=20
  before first light, and several times it happened that the first swift =
I=20
  detected was not exiting but entering! (from where? and out for how =
long?).=20
  &nbsp;<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>I recall <B>one occasion in 1989 or 1990</B>, =
when I was a=20
  celebrity for a week and doing TV and radio interviews, because of the =
local=20
  =93saving=94 of the RTNC chimney by the town and the Blomidon =
Naturalists=20
  together.&nbsp;<B> CBC-TV </B>sent Paul Withers and a cameraman, and =
one=20
  evening we watched and filmed the =93show=94 of the swifts gathering =
and funneling=20
  into the chimney.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>Then, maybe intentionally or because of the =
interview, Paul=20
  decided to stay overnight and then hopefully&nbsp; film the morning=20
  exits.&nbsp; I guessed the time for that at about 6 a.m.?, and, would =
you=20
  believe, out they came right at the predicted time!&nbsp; I felt very=20
  powerful.&nbsp; The cameraman got very good footage of this, but it =
was not=20
  part of the news report that evening, and all that extra footage was =
erased by=20
  the time I inquired about it a few days later.&nbsp; Lesson learned =
the hard=20
  way again.<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>Now here=92s a bit more on the morning exit =
times.&nbsp; The=20
  factors involved are unknown, but usually the exits occur sometime =
from=20
  sunrise up to about 9 a.m. (like this morning), but it is not uncommon =
for the=20
  swifts to =93sleep in=94 until 11 a.m. or even to noon.=20
&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal>Now try to imagine the pain and patience involved =
in=20
  beginning at about 5:00&nbsp; a.m., sitting in my car with a thermos =
of=20
  coffee, and just sitting and watching the top of the chimney, waitng =
for some=20
  action, until the end of the morning!&nbsp; YIPE!&nbsp; Nope, never =
again, so=20
  I=92m very happy we blundered into today=92s exit. =
&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV>
  <DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><B>Cheers from Jim in=20
  Wolfville.</B><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
  <P class=3DMsoNormal><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></P></DIV><A></A>
  <P align=3Dleft color=3D"#000000" avgcert??>No virus found in this=20
  message.<BR>Checked by AVG - <A=20
  href=3D"http://www.avg.com">www.avg.com</A><BR>Version: 2014.0.4716 / =
Virus=20
  Database: 3986/7829 - Release Date: =
07/10/14</P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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