Final Chimney Swift Count - Tuttle - 2007

E-mail from Dick Tuttle:

Hello Everyone,

The last migrating Chimney Swifts used Delaware, Ohio for a roosting site on October 10 as two birds dropped into the chimney above One West Winter Street. The most swifts using this chimney occurred on October 4 when 186 birds roosted there.

I started counting roosting swifts on August 10 for the 2007 migration season. I completed 41 counts from three chimneys and the season ended on October 11 when no swifts showed up.

Two popular chimneys were ignored after heavy rains. Swifts quit roosting at the National Guard Armory sometime after September 23, and the United Methodist Church in Galena was snubbed prior to September 9. I hypothesize that ammonia gases percolate from guano deposits after rainwater pools in chimneys. Hopefully, someday, this question will be investigated.

More or Less Swifts in 2007?
Occasionally, people ask me about long term population trends among migrating swifts. I offer the following calculations that contain unknown variables, but the stats are offered, nonetheless.

For each of last five seasons at the National Guard Armory chimney, I averaged the five largest counts for each year since I began taking serious counts in 2003. For example, the five largest counts for 2003 are 1650, 1420, 1100, 1060 and 925. The average for the largest five counts is 1231 swifts, the highest average among five years of counting. For comparison purposes, I called 2003's average one and divided all other averages by 1231 to find relative values.

Below, I list values from five years of counting. Each row shows the year, the range of five highest counts for that year, the average for the five highest counts, and the comparative size of each year's average relative to year 2003.

• 2003, (1650 - 925) Average = 1231, 1.00
• 2004, (1020 - 537) Average = 851, 0.69
• 2005, (680 - 536) Average = 591, 0.48
• 2006, (430 - 346) Average = 396, 0.32
• 2007, (769 - 661) Average = 716, 0.58

In conclusion, while comparing the last number in each of the rows, I can say that the population of migrating swifts declined drastically from 2003 until only 1/3 (0.32) as many were counted in 2006. However, the migrating population nearly doubled from 2006 to 2007, recovering to 6/10 (0.58) as many birds counted in 2003.

Heavy rains can wash swift nests from the walls of chimneys, but 2007 was extremely dry during the swift's nesting season. Was 2007 a good year for nesting Chimney Swifts? I think so.

Swift on, Dick Tuttle

RE: Latest in any season I have seen an Osprey in Central Ohio.

E-mail from Dave Serman, DNR, in answer to latest to see Osprey.

Hello:

We did see an osprey hanging around West Sister Island last week.

Sherm

Latest in any season I have seen an Osprey in Central Ohio

E-mail & photo from Jim Martin:

Howdy:

The attached photo was taken four years ago on Oct. 25, 2003, 03:51 P.M. This Osprey was flying over our farm pond in Sunbury, Ohio.

The picture is not my best work but it does document the "latest in any season I have seen an Osprey in Central Ohio". Notice the color of the leaves at the top of the photo - Autumn colors. Has anyone seen an Osprey later that this in Central Ohio?

One other observation - this osprey was a youngster as I have a few photos that show it's juvenile colors/markings.

Best Wishes, Jim Martin.

ODNR link -2007 TM Migration South

Here is a link to the Ohio Department Of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife Web page with the Osprey male (TM) from nest #1, Hogback Road, Heading south for the winter. (He'll be back!)

Looks like as of today he is just off the coast of Columbia, South America.

2007 TM heading South

Frank Germann

Osprey Platform Cleaning and Sign Maintenance

E-mail and 2 photos from Jim Marin
One photo from Frank Germann

Hello Fellow Naturalists & Conservationists:

Today, Sept. 25, 2007, Dick Phillips and Dick Tuttle took advantage of the largely drawn-down Alum Creek Reservoir. Alum Creek was but a trickle flowing into the reservoir. Frank Germann and I were there to record the day's activities.

Three of the four Osprey Platforms along Hogback Road required minor alignments and cleaning. The nests were removed (to keep the Canadian Geese from a hostile take over) and prepared for next season's breeding season.

In contrast to last February's weather, which was very cold & windy, today's work was much more enjoyable and was completed in about 1 and a quarter hours.

Best Wishes, Jim Martin

My last photo of Osprey on Hogback Road, 2007.

The last time I saw any of the ospreys at Alum Creek was Tuesday, September 11th at 8 am till I left an hour or so later, this was at nest #1 on Hogback Road. (The youngster was there Monday morning also in the heavy fog sitting on the perch.)

One of the young was on the roost squawking about ever 5 minutes or so. Papa showed up a half hour later with a very small fish, which he gave the young one. Something did not seem right with the young one, it seemed to try and eat the fish, but cried and cried. The male had landed on the ground for 15 minutes or so, then went to the dead tree south of the nest. He stayed there for another 20 minutes, then flew south, where he hovered near nest #4 for 5 minutes, before disappearing.

After he left the young one stop crying. I watched another 10 minutes or so before heading into work.

I've stopped down about every morning since, but no osprey to be found. There are still herons, egrets, geese, Killdeers and some shore birds to be seen.

The male (TM) is probably in Cuba or South America by now.

I'm still taking photos, look for a sideshow next week.

Frank Germann

2007 Osprey Migration South - Sept 14-17

E-mail & graphic form Jim Martin:

Hello Fellow Naturalists & Conservationists:

The Male Osprey (TM) begun his Wintering migration to Brazil on Sept 14, 2007. He took a somewhat circuitous route by leaving Alum Creek and traveling to Lake Erie, 27 miles East of Cleveland, Ohio. From there he flew South to the Ohio-Kentucky boarder, onto central Tennessee then to southern Georgia. The last telemetry data showed he was ~50 miles from the northern boarder of Florida on Sept 17 at 07:37.

All in all he has traveled 850+ miles. Between Sept 16 (01:00) and Sept 17 (01:30) he flew nearly 300 miles. He averaging ~213 miles per day(4).

Attached is a Google Earth© map that shows his progress. A special thanks to Dave Sherman for the satellite telemetry data.

Best Wishes,

Jim Martin