Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 18:28:50 -0400 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Steve Sanford Subject: Fw: 5000 Swifts in Baltimore MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit On April 25 and April 26, 2002, nearly 5,000 Migrating Chimney Swifts seen entering the Bookbindery chimney, 3110 Elm Avenue, Baltimore City, neighborhood called Hampden. We never expected to see so many -- in the Spring migration. Join us. See directions below. Proper time seems to depend on the weather, which is more variable in the Spring. April 26 was a clear day, with a clear evening, and the Chimney Swifts gathered and descended at dusk, 7:30 to 8:30 PM. However, April 25 was a rainy day, that cleared by 3 PM, and the Swifts gathered and entered much earlier, and more gradually, starting by/before 6:45 PM. (Swifts don't seem to fly in the rain. Already in chimneys? Maybe their food sources, insects, do not fly in the rain. Maybe Swifts are flying and feeding outside the area of rain.) Directions to Chimney Swifts in Hampden. Take I-83 exit Cold Spring Lane, East. Go 1/4 mile to light at Falls Road. Turn right (south) onto Falls Rd. and go 1.2 miles, total. At 36th St, follow left lane and sign "Falls Rd." At stop sign, turn left, one short block uphill. Take 1st possible right, a hairpin turn, onto Falls Cliff Rd. to end. Follow arrow pointing left around the curve to dead end. Right onto Elm St. First left onto Mill St. First left into Mill Center parking lot. PARK. (From here, check the Mill Center chimney below you, as it has been used in the past 2 years.) Walk uphill on Elm Street to the now active Bookbindery chimney above and behind you at 3110 Elm Avenue. Coordinator: Carol Schreter (410) 664-5151 or CSchreter@aol.com >From Alice Nelson, Carol Schreter, and the SwiftWatchers of Baltimore ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================