We were treated to a beautiful aerial display today by a mixed flock of bug
eaters.
While driving along a stand of trees north of town, BJ first noticed a few
Nighthawks hawking above the trees. The Nighthawks were not alone. There must
have been a huge amount of insects in the air, as they had drawn a considerable
amount of "hunters" to chase them.
We watched for about 10 minutes as the flock flew back and forth among the mass
of victims - a feeding frenzy akin to the ones you see of whales gulping krill.
We didn't count, but there was a good number of:
Tree Swallow - some
Barn Swallow - many
Purple Martin - a few
COMMON NIGHTHAWK - 5 (our first for the year)
Although many folks have been reporting them so far, they are especially hard
to find in this part of the Valley, so it means that much more to find some.
Jon & BJ Little
Winchester
