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C. Swifts...again







I capped the Chapel Hill Spring bird count by visiting the Franklin St. Post Office chimney again at 8pm. Sun. night to count Chimney Swifts barrelling down their nighttime roost -- since Will tells me that my count of 1900 (and could be higher)blows away the previous high spring count of 343 I think it worth mentioning again that this is a phenomenal(almost incomprehensible) sight if youÕve never seen it before. Some time after 8pm the birds begin gradually gathering/circling in the sky; first dozens, then hundreds, then more and more. At some point they begin making individual dives toward the chimney only to swerve back up all the while the numbers growing/swarming; eventually(and I have no clue what the signal is) a couple of birds do dive into the chimney and then dozens, and hundreds follow on every pass -- how they choose their turns I don't know! (on Sun. night the first birds went in at 8:26pm), taking many mins. for the entire group to make their way in -- in fact when I left on Sun. several hundred swifts were still circling above possibly because the chimney(which is not that large) was out of room and they would have to seek lodging elsewhere for the evening. Anyway, this is one of the most amazing and accessible birding sights I know of and highly recommended.

Also, saw Mom B. Owl feeding her babies twice this weekend (couldnÕt see owlets but Mom was perched on nesthole bobbing up and down).


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**Rob Gluck....... Chapel Hill,NC....... thrush@hotmail.com

"And on the fifth day God created birds.... (days 1-4 must've been a real drag)."

-- old Leica binocular ad




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