andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz.au (Andrew Taylor) (03/22/91)
I've just read that 2000 people were in Capistrano to greet the returning swallows on March 19. Supposedly that have been late only once (in the 1930's). I'm skeptical the majority arrive on a single date because the calender year doesn't match the solar year precisely i.e some years the swallows should turn up on the 18th (or 20th). Do the majority of the swallows really arrive on March 19? Why is there return date even close to precise - why don;t they wait for favourable weather along the way? Andrew Taylor
tjo@bugatti.siemens.com (Tom Ostrand) (03/26/91)
andrewt@cluster.cs.su.oz.au (Andrew Taylor) writes: >I've just read that 2000 people were in Capistrano to greet the returning >swallows on March 19. Supposedly that have been late only once (in the 1930's). >I'm skeptical the majority arrive on a single date because the calender year >doesn't match the solar year precisely i.e some years the swallows should turn >up on the 18th (or 20th). >Do the majority of the swallows really arrive on March 19? >Why is there return date even close to precise - why don;t they wait >for favourable weather along the way? A few years ago I was in San Diego for a meeting in EARLY MARCH, and took a couple of days to drive up the southern Cal coast. Naturally I stopped at Capistrano, and there were plenty of swallows all over the place, swooping in and out of the mission. I tried to find someone who could tell me why they had arrived EARLY that year, but without success. I suppose they were the advance guard, and I just don't believe that they all arrive on the same day. Tom Ostrand E-mail: tjo@cadillac.siemens.com Siemens Corporate Research Phone: 609-734-6569 755 College Road East FAX: 609-734-6565 Princeton, NJ 08540-6668
burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally) (03/26/91)
In article <tjo.669925953@bugatti> tjo@bugatti.siemens.com (Tom Ostrand) > >>Do the majority of the swallows really arrive on March 19? >>Why is there return date even close to precise - why don;t they wait >>for favourable weather along the way? > >A few years ago I was in San Diego for a meeting in EARLY MARCH, and >took a couple of days to drive up the southern Cal coast. Naturally >I stopped at Capistrano, and there were plenty of swallows all over >the place, swooping in and out of the mission. I tried to find >someone who could tell me why they had arrived EARLY that year, but While waiting for my carpool person I picked up a recent issue of Westway and it had a small blurb about the swallows returning to Capistrano and it said they don't always come back on the same day so the town holds a month long celebration during March. -- Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu) Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs