October 3rd, 2005. East Meadows, Northampton, MA.
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Late Swallows Hirundinidae.
| The extremely mild foggy conditions this morning not only produced a Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow
but also a flurry of fairly late swallows. One flock feeding high
overhead contained only four birds, but of three different species!
These were Barn, Bank and Cliff Swallows. With reference to the bar
charts in “Bird Finding in Western Massachusetts” it would appear that
all hirundines except Tree Swallow are exceptional after the end of
September. I was therefore pleased to take record shots of these three
species feeding high in the foggy murk. They didn’t stay long either,
and I didn’t see them after these images were taken.
Here’s today’s swallow tally for the East Meadows;
Tree Swallow - 9+.
Barn Swallow - 2
Bank Swallow - 1
Cliff Swallow - 1
| Taken using Canon Powershot A-95 through Leica 10x42 binoculars.
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