naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Roosting Barn Swallows

Subject: Re: Roosting Barn Swallows
From: "Peter Scholtens" gullchasedship
Date: Sun Jun 1, 2008 4:16 am ((PDT))
Thanks for sharing this, Kevin.

I had trouble getting at the clip because it was clipped on two lines by
Yahoo! groups. Here it is again using tinyurl.com.
http://tinyurl.com/4qkwyh

Pete

On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 1:43 AM, Kevin Colver <> wrote:

>   > There has been some talk of observing behavior while we're out
> > recording. Here's a little tidbit I observed this month:
>
> > A 30 second sample of over 2 hours of Barn Swallow roost recordings
> > is linked below.
>
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Naturerecording/files/Barn%20Swallows%
> > 20in%20the%20Bullrushes.mp3
>
> > I was recording all night at Fish Springs NWR in western UT and
> > decided to move away from the noisy bullfrogs and find a new spot
> > to await dawn. At 1 AM the spot was quiet. At about 3 AM, under a
> > full moon, the bullrushes in front of my mic seemed to bubble over
> > with the chatter of Barn Swallows. This went on constantly until
> > about 5 AM when they all took flight and started the day feasting
> > on the mosquitos that were feasting on me. I've watched swallows
> > roosting in barns and other structures in the past but never in a
> > patch of reeds one meter tall.
>
> Well, I'd discovered a new behavior, or so I thought. Looking up the
> subject in the Birds of North America, I discovered that this marsh
> roosting behavior was described over 100 years ago. "During
> premigratory periods in late summer, migration, and winter, birds
> often gather in large roosts to sleep in marsh vegetation; assemble
> over a roost site before landing, forming in some cases dense clouds
> that gradually circle lower and lower until birds finally start
> dropping down to perch, with many birds flushing and repeating the
> performance before finally settling for the night (Bates 1895)." So,
> this wasn't anything new to science but was a lucky find for me to
> stumble on a roost site out in hundreds of acres of wetlands, in the
> middle of the night.
>
> Sure, it's a common bird, no big deal. But it was fun, and when I
> think about it, that's why I'm out there recording, to have some
> fun. Hope you're all having a great time in the field. Enjoy.
>
> Kevin Colver
>
> PS I posted a photo of the site and my new little Sony PCM D1 out
> there recording the sunrise. He's hiding in a homemade fluffy
> windscreen cover my wife created.
>
> There is nothing special I can see about this location that tells me
> why the swallows picked it for the night. The refuge is big. I wish
> I could have checked the spot out over several days to see if they
> move or pick the same location each night.
>
> http://tech.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/photos/view/
> c363?b=1
>
>
> 
>






<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the naturerecordists mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU