[obol] Barn Swallows and radar again

[Pat Waldron]

Dear Floyd, et. al,

    Very impressive. I was wondering if Grand Island should be purchased 
as a historical bird sanctuary by... the Nature Conservancy and planted 
with corn every year. No, I have not been impressed with TNC ... better 
yet, have some other organization, Fish and WL, not buy the land, but 
buy the farmer’s corn at a price higher than he would get for it now. 
Then we could control the time of the planting and cutting until after 
the BARN SWALLOW migration. If the crop was good, then it could be 
processed as cracked corn and sold as bird food at Audubon Societies in 
Oregon to pay the farmer or just sold.

    Maybe Bruce Cousens paper could be sent to organizations in the US 
and especially Oregon to see if something can be done. I was just 
thinking, if I won the lottery, I would pay the farmer dearly for his 
late corn. I am spending about $2000.00 per year on wild bird feed, 
thanks to the biofuel craze, and the increase in price. I sometimes buy 
it by the ton to get a better price. Maybe I don’t have to win the 
lottery, because actually, the Oregon Lottery has a program for saving 
wildlife in Oregon. Can we forward Bruce Cousins paper to them along 
with some photos of this wonderful phenomena? It is a first step.

    Pat Waldron
    East of Scio

Floyd Schrock wrote:

>I have been contacted again by the biologist (Bruce Cousens) in 
>Nanaimo, BC, who last year discovered the mysterious cloud on the 
>weather radar system that turned out to be the flock of Barn Swallows 
>we have been watching here in Yamhill Co. since the late '90s.  He 
>noticed the cloud again yesterday, so this evening (Aug. 25) I went 
>looking for the flock.  I found them where they roosted last year --  
>going down into a corn field on Grand Island south of Dayton.  The 
>flock, which I'm guessing included at least 100,000 birds this 
>evening, was forming at 8:00 p.m.  By 8:25 there were only a few 
>hundred still circling above the field.
>
>Bruce also sent a link to the scientific paper he prepared and 
>presented at the Georgia Basin Puget Sound Research Conference last 
>spring.  For those who would like to read this paper, it can be found 
>at:
>    <http://www.engr.washington.edu/epp/psgb/2007psgb/2007proceedings/papers/P1_couse.pdf>
>
>Here is the information about Bruce Cousens and the "real" work he is 
>involved in:
>______________________________________________________
>Bruce Cousens, B.Sc., M.Sc., R.P.Bio., Senior Biologist,
>BC Purple Martin Stewardship & Recovery Program Coordinator,
>Georgia Basin Ecological Assessment and Restoration Society
>#4 - 1150 N. Terminal Ave., Unit 117, Nanaimo, BC  V9S 5L6
>Phone/msg./fax:  (250) 758-2922; E-mail:  pmartins at island.net
>______________________________________________________
>
>For anyone wanting to watch the evening flock activity, you can find 
>the location by driving north from Salem (west of the river) on 
>Wallace Rd. (Hwy. 221) toward Dayton about 15 miles.  At Unionvale, 
>turn right (east) on Grand Island Rd.  After crossing the bridge onto 
>the island, continue about a mile to the first 4-way intersection. 
>Turn left (north) on Lower Island Rd. and drive north about a mile and 
>a half to a wide gravel parking lot on the right.  (The white mailbox 
>on the left is numbered 13395.)  Unfortunately, the flock is a few 
>hundred yards away toward the darkening sky to the east, but with 
>binoculars it is possible to get a good view of the swirling cloud of 
>swallows as they gradually concentrate in one area, and then plunge 
>into the standing corn.  The corn itself is hidden by a row of trees, 
>but most of the action is still visible above them.
>
>This evening I did not hear any other swallow species mixed in with 
>the Barns, but across the road to the west a flock of about 200 Vaux's 
>Swifts was going to roost in a house chimney at the same time.  It was 
>quiet an entertaining half hour.
>
>I have also placed a link to short video clip (actually a .gif) of the 
>morning fly-out yesterday at http://empids.blogspot.com/.
>
>========================
>Floyd Schrock
>McMinnville, Oregon  U.S.A.
>http://empids.blogspot.com/
>========================
>
>
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