Contributor
Date
Location
- Age and sex
- Unknown age, Unknown sex - X
- Sounds
- Call
- Playback
- Playback not used
Observation details
By far the most activity of all the swallow species noted. 1 or more seen or heard at least 26 times in flight. Saw 1 perch for several minutes on a small, dead isolated shrub on an open bank of the stream in reach 4, ca 20 m from a vertical dirt bank and 50 m downstream of the red culverts. It perched here a few minutes, flew off, and then returned a short time later and remained for ca 9 minutes, from 0821 to 0830. At 0922 I saw 3 NRWS in flight at once, low over the stream in reach 3. 1 landed and made rough "preh" calls from a dead alder stub ca 20 m upstream of the single Betula occidentalis (noted as a landmark), then 1 landed on an alder stub ca 5 m NE of the B. occidentalis. The third swallow, still in the air, made a low pass at that second perched bird, which took off; I saw them in a close darting chase for ca 15 seconds. Both of these perches were within 15 m of 1 vertical dirt bank. At roughly 1000, I saw a single NRWS in low, darting flight ca 100 m above the diversion; saw it approach and briefly investigate (hovering in flight) a 2 m high vertical dirt bank near the reconstructed floodplain. Later, saw 3 NRWS in low, circling flight near the raised hill area. Then I saw 1 perch and call nearby for several minutes on a shrub within 5 m of a vertical earth bank at a bend in the stream, where NRWS activity seen last year as well. While that swallow remained perched, I saw another individual investigate at least 3 cavities in the bank, perching on a small rose bush and a Chokecherry root hanging from the bank, and at the entrance to at least 2 different cavities. Saw it actually enter 1 cavity, overhung by Leymus cinereus, and remain in it out of sight for over 30 seconds (video). Observed this sort of activity off and on for the next 5 minutes; saw 2 swallows (probably the same two?) perched amicably within less than 30 cm near a burrow entrance. As far as I could tell, the only activity at this earth bank so far was from 2 birds (1 pair). I definitely did see the same individual checking out different burrows consecutively, suggesting that it was investigating nest sites and not using one yet.
Technical information
- Recorder
- TASCAM DR-05
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 12.73 MB