Interesting idea about the acoustics here, there might be something to
it. I've only been in Winchester 8 months and that's the first flock
I've heard. When I've seen them on the coastal plain they were extremely
high ( a half mile or more seems right) and I could barely hear them.
I'll try to find them if I get another chance. The local Canada Geese go
honking through the neighborhood at 50 feet every day so that is my
aural reference point. The Tundra Swans were nowhere near that loud.
Should have said it was 3:20 am.
John Fox
On 3/10/2014 11:07 AM, David Davis wrote:
John Fox of Winchester reported: "Heard at 3:20, never saw them. They must have been fairly low for me to
pick them up." [emphasis added]
Unless Mr. Fox is alluding to a hearing defect, he may have heard them from much farther away than he realizes. In the cold, clear air of the mountains of Shenandoah County where I hear and/or see a flock or two most years during deer season in November, I sometimes hear them calling from considerable distance. For some of the flocks that I have spotted after hearing them first, I've estimated that they may be half a mile (perhaps more) distant. In fact, I have never seen them low at that location. They are usually far above the ridges--perhaps twice their height--and the higher local ridges are over 2000 feet in elevation. In other areas, perhaps where Mr. Fox birds, they may be a lot lower, but given their known fall migration route across the northern Shenandoah Valley region, I suspect that they maintain a rather high flight line. I don't usually encounter them in the spring, so I don't know whether their flight path and behavior are different in the spring.
Dave Davis
Arlington and Cedar Creek
*** You are subscribed to va-bird as jjcfox@xxxxxxxxxx. If you wish to unsubscribe, or modify your preferences please visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird ***
