[TN-Bird] SWIFTS

From: "Ruth Luckado" <luck@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <TN-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2012 21:24:47 -0500
At 6:30 this evening--in the pouring rain--I drove down to Tullahoma High 
School, just curious about those Chimney Swifts. and THERE THEY WERE, CIRCLING 
ABOVE THE CHIMNEY. I had a kitchen timer in my purse( don't ask)  I set it on 1 
minute, and counting by 5's or 10's or 20's, counted from 6:42PM until 7:22PM. 
The most I had per min during that time period was 270, and the least was150, 
dwindling to 75 to 0 at the end. Now the way I figure it 150 per min for 40 
mins is 6000 birds OR 270 per min for 40 mins is 10,800 birds. ( I bet you 
technocrats are cringing at this scientific method), but that's my story and 
I'm sticking to it---SO we have 6000 to 10,000 birds on a windy, pouring down 
rain evening, struggling  with the elements, to overnight in a chimney.  Now, 
aren't you ashamed to have complained about the weather today?

You do understand that, I did this count by sitting in my car, rolling down the 
window, and stuffing towels over the top edge to soak up the water, wiping the 
binoc lens every few mins---as the light faded, it went like this-----turn the 
map light on, set the timer, turn the map light off, push start, hunker down 
behind the towels to block the outside building lights , as it got darker,and 
peek over the towels to look out the window and COUNT, COUNT.  By now you 
asking  Did she do this every min for 40 mins---well, of course not.  I did 
about 20 more or less.

Then, I took one dry towel that was left, wiped off my soaked left side, and 
drove home with joy in my heart and a smile on my face.

Ruth Luckado
Tullahoma, Tn

P.S,  If you have any questions, just e-mail me----didn't wish to take all the 
tn-bird space, and I'm sure there were holes in my report for the avid 
scientific birders.
[TN-Bird] SWIFTS

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