dub@pur-phy.UUCP (Dwight U. Bartholomew) (06/20/84)
1) It seems that every spring, for the span of two or three days, the
Purdue campus is invaded by Cedar Waxwings. They just cover the
trees. Anyone know where if end up in their migration?
2) Now my apartment is a bar (the Chocolate Shop) that has a tall,
skinny chimney. Last summer, toward evening, I walked past to
see a (large) swarm of Chimney Swifts making swoops down at the thing.
They looked like a giant
living wheel turning <-flow--
in the sky. o o
Anyone have an explanation o o
for this bizzaire behavior? o o
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3) Noted today (after seeing some Chipping Sparrows) that House
Sparrows tend to be much fatter than the wilder sparrows. Now,
if people could cultivate a taste of broiled sparrow, we could
have the House Sparrow population down in NO time.
4) Speaking of House Sparrows, around campus are the usual vines
crawling up buildings. During the winter months, sparrows must
have think that these are the avian equivalent of the Pool Hall.
Hundreds of sparrows per tree. For some reason there must be
a kind of friendly rivalry between starlings and sparrows for
inevitably the tree (vine) right next to the sparrows was crammed
full of starlings. Then they all would start to sing! My God!
What a racket! The daily Starlings vs. Sparrows Sing-along.
You could hear them battling it out (in voices) for blocks away.
Noticed one time a cardinal accidently flew into the tree and
what followed was instant silence until the cardinal had left.
Dwight Bartholomew
UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,harpo,allegra,inuxc,seismo,teklabs}!pur-ee!Physics:dub
INTERNET: dub @ pur-phy.UUCPweutil@ih1ap.UUCP (David Pope) (06/21/84)
I have witnessed this circular flying pattern you describe in barn swallows, and it is my understanding that these birds will fly like this (sort of 'terrain following') in search of bugs. The bugs fly close to the surface of warmer objects as the evening air cools and the humidity increases. If the chimney were covered with flies, the swifts might be attracted in a similar manner. David L. Pope Mail --> ihnp4!nwuxc!random