Last evening, Susie & I noted a large handful of CHIMNEY SWIFTS flying over the Firehouse Diner in downtown Candor, NY.
And for years, we have watched another bunch of them over the ice cream stand in Richford, NY. (not every day, of course) S. & S. Fast Brooktondale _____ From: bounce-5799269-9286...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-5799269-9286...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of John and Fritzie Blizzard Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2010 9:49 PM To: cayugabird...@cornell.e Subject: [cayugabirds-l] OOB/Chimney Swifts While this is out of the basin I think it may be of interest to some who might want to add them to their list. We arrived in Skaneateles Tues. evening about 6:30 to join friends at the Blue Water Grill for a delicious meal. For 1/2 hr. before we went inside I had been watching many Chimney Swifts flying over the business district buildings. After we went inside my window view allowed me to continue to watch them, a sight I've always loved. Many yrs. have passed since I've seen so many swifts. In my early teens, & even before, on the family farm near Wellsboro, PA I often climbed the tall, wall ladder to get to the peak of the hay mow where the swifts had their beautifully made, shiny, varnished-looking, "stick & spit" nests stuck to the side of the barn. Many times I would hold & pet the birds, marveling at their pointed tails & their soft feathers. None ever seemed alarmed that I was there. A treasured memory! Here in Union Springs I saw only 2 swifts last night. Last yr. I discovered that swifts are nesting in an unused chimney of people we know. Previously, I had been unable to discover where they were going to roost. I might also add, that we had dozens of bats around the barns at night. They slept in the barn near the swifts in the daytime & oh, horror of horrors, I often petted them & stretched out their velvety wings!! How much the simple, wonderful things of life have changed! The innocence of youth ..... ! Thanks for the memories! Fritzie -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html 3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
