Magic Moment!

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

No, not that sappy song from the 50's or whenever but a real thing that happened this weekend. This was my third unsuccessful season with Martins but I keep trying. Meanwhile my interests have also leaned towards Tree Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough Winged Swallows and most recently Chimney Swifts. I've created nesting ledges and fake mud gourds and other stuff in an attempt to attract these birds to my yard. At any rate, after shoveling another ten yards of "slag" sand on Saturday afternoon, I was taking a break when out of nowhere came a group of seven Barn Swallows and a pair of Chimney Swifts who then spent five minutes just buzzing me and the yard! They were cavorting and gliding within a few feet of the ground and four feet from my head. It was perfectly quiet, not a mower or a Cicada to be heard anywhere, Not the slightest breeze stirred and these guys were quiet as well. Not making the normal repetitive twitters. I'm sure they were gobbling up small insects with each pass but sometimes they seemed to be simply "checking the place out". The utter silence was profound. With a few stylistic swoops, the last straggler darted over the trees and away. It's moments like that that make all the box building ,nest checks and sky searching worth while for me. It was like magic! "Or, maybe I was just having a stroke from working in the heat all day!" In either case, for a few minutes I was completely in awe of nature. Fred Kaluza

[Al Denton]

I can appreciate that Fred. A very similar event happened to me last year. My neighbor's chimney swifts had just fledged, and late one afternoon I was out just kicking around in the back yard. We had just gotten a shower of rain, and the sun popped out just at setting. The shower cleaned up the muggy air, and everything was still and had that orangish reddish glow to it. Almost kind of eerie feeling!...Anyway, along comes the new family of swifts and the fledgies were about to show off their new wings. I was just standing there and the swifts started buzzing me getting closer and closer. They came at me at from all directions and turned off sharp just before hitting me. I could even feel a little rush of air sometimes they flew so close. They looked like they even had a little smile on their face as they went by as if to say "look at me, we're flying" They were really showing off! It lasted a few minutes and then they were off. Our pug is my witness I was hoping for a repeat this year from the swifts but it didn't happen. The magic just wasn't in the air. Al

[Laverne]

When y'all stand outside, do you ever look directly over your head and see a column of gnats? I think they must be attracted to the heat rising from our heads. It has to be still for this column of insects to form, but I'll bet these insects are the attraction for the Barnies and Chimney Swifts.

This has never happened to me. The wind is usually blowing in Alvin. But, one year, in the springtime, we were walking through the field and the Purple Martins started diving all around us. As we walked we were stirring up easy target insects for them. It was amazing!!

[Al Denton]

Laverne, I think you just might be right come to think of it. Oh well, so much for the magic Al

[Laverne]

Oh, no! It was never my intention to spoil the magic...

As I said - this has "never" happened to me. The Chimney Swifts and the Barn Swallows fly out across the fields and chatter high overhead - but, they have never come down to my level to feed right above me.

I would say that was Magical.

By the way - I always loved that old sappy song...

[Al Denton]

Laverne, I liked that'ole song too for some reason. Can't remember who recorded it or exactly when, but it was a song who just could'nt get out of your head sometime...LIKE THIS AFTERNOON !

[Guest]

I think you have the right attitude, Fred! I made up my mind awhile back already not to focus exclusively on martins, as I think all birds (well, almost all) are nice. Sure, martins are special to me but since it?s so hard to get them, I think it?s a good idea to branch out into attracting other species of birds (and I?ve also been getting into butterflies) so as not to get so frustrated, so that?s what I?ve been doing over the years. There are lots of other wonderful creatures on this planet! I figured surely these other things aren?t as difficult to get as what martins are (for me and some others anyway). I could put up every kind of martin housing ever made and still not ever get martins. I put up housing for bluebirds about the same time I put up my martin house in 1989, and it didn?t take long at all to get some and I really enjoy watching them. I?ve had tree swallows here for the past six years and really like them too. We also have chimney swifts nest in our chimney every year, and they are constantly flying in the sky above our yard; they?re a fascinating bird to watch! I have dozens of bird species visit my yard every year, and I feed the birds. Actually, what I should do is put up a bat house or two sometime. That?s why I put up a martin house in the first place, because I thought the martins would eat all the mosquitoes around here! I still wish I could get martins, but I refuse to get bent out of shape after coming up martinless each year; I?ll just enjoy the things that I DO have. Sometimes in pursuit of that one elusive thing, people miss other things along the way.
Do you have a chimney that the swifts could nest in? If not, you might consider building a chimney swift tower and maybe those you saw flying around will nest in it next year. It sounds like you really enjoyed yourself watching all those birds that day! I wish you much luck in getting whatever birds you try to get and also in getting nice birds that just happen to find you. I think developing interests other than concentrating on martins all the time is important. That way you?ll get to enjoy lots of things! If we ever do get martins, then that will be a bonus.

[Al Denton]

Cathy, I like that attitude too. A few years back I was getting pretty discouraged because of my inability to get a nesting pair of martins. This year I didn't even blink an eye. I got a pair of BB's this year, and had tons of fun with the swifts. Plus, I do get some visiting martins and sooner or later if I keep messing around at it I'll eventually get some to stay. I still believe that, and that's what keeps me going. In the mean time there's other dreams to chase, plus I kinda like hanging out on the purple martin "Forum". That is until someboby decides to run me away It was a good year the way I look at it. Al

[EaglesWing/South Jersey]

Fred....so glad you had the opportunity to experience these delightful critters. I consider it a privilege to have swallows and swifts be my chaperones as I work in the yard and as the accompany me in my mowing chores. Not a sound from them, but they swoop nearly on my nose and are my "wing men" on the long stretches. Takes the toil out of my work because I feel it is a true privilege to have them around to appreciate! I have had a pair of swallows nest for four years straight in an extra martin gourd that I found on the beach. I've hung it in the same tree each year. I don't put it up until I see them hanging around in the spring and as soon as it's hung, and sometimes before I walk away from it, they are investigating. This house is about 100 feet from my martin gourds and they don't seem to squabble about who's home is theirs. This year they fledged five, each of the previous years they fledged four. It's a joy to watch them, as well as the martins, as they begin their flight-training and use the electric/phone wires and gutters of my home as their stadium for a birdseye view of their parents!

[Guest]

Cathy, I like that attitude too. A few years back I was getting pretty discouraged because of my inability to get a nesting pair of martins. This year I didn't even blink an eye. I got a pair of BB's this year, and had tons of fun with the swifts. Plus, I do get some visiting martins and sooner or later if I keep messing around at it I'll eventually get some to stay. I still believe that, and that's what keeps me going. In the mean time there's other dreams to chase, plus I kinda like hanging out on the purple martin "Forum". That is until someboby decides to run me away It was a good year the way I look at it. Al

Al, I'm glad you've found the secret to being into martins without going nuts! I know what you mean about not blinking an eye this year. I can honestly say that for the first year ever it didn't even really bother me not getting them...maybe I've broken that spell that's been over me for years! I'm so glad that you got BB's this year and got to find out how nice they are to have! Yeah, I'd say that you'll get martins eventually. I think if you're not next to a woods and live in the south, you're already a few steps ahead of me. I actually am surprised that you don't have them by now and think that it's only a matter of time until you get them. I've come to love other birds so much, including those that you mentioned. I'd say that chasing other dreams can only do you and me some good!

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

See... we all have our "moments" with the critters. P.S. I did make a Chimney Swift Tower so I have even more stuff to look forward to next spring! You can follow the thread and see the photos via the link below. The final photo is at the very bottom of the post.

http://www.michiganmartins.com/forum/vi ... .php?t=393

[Guest]

Wow, Fred, I'm exhausted after reading about your project! That really sounded like a lot of work, and I hope you're rewarded by getting a nesting pair of chimney swifts in it next year. For all I know, I might have had chimney swifts here at our place since we moved here in 1987. It seems like I've always heard these twittering birds flying so close overhead, but I never really paid that much attention to them before the past few years. Heck, I don't think it was until the year before last that I actually noticed that they fly down the chimney! I knew a few years before that what these birds were, but I didn't actually know all those years that they were probably going down our chimney back then already. I think I've been focusing too much attention on things that I should try to put further back on my priority list and concentrate on things that I can actually do something about. Out of curiosity I'm going to go outside sometime today and measure our chimney; you've got me wondering now what the dimensions of it are. I know it's probably only about a foot square inside if that. I'll post my findings later. Thanks for that link so we could see your chimney swift tower. I commend you for putting all that effort into such a worthwhile project!

[Guest]

Fred, how do you make a chimney swift tower? I have had chimney swifts around most of the spring/summer but I have no idea where they nest. Do they compete with martins for food?

[Fred Kaluza~MI]

Cathy, thanks for the comments. It's funny how when you get really excited about something, the effort becomes unnoticable. Hogwild, it seems there is an organization similar to the P.M.C.A. for Chimney Swifts. They are also unique birds probably originally suited for nesting in the vertical vavities of hollow trees. The poor things couldn't even perch on a branch or a wire if they tried. All four of their toes face forward so they have to cling to rough surfaces. I tried to maximize the use of standard cut lumber so as to make the least waste. I'l give the list of materials and you should be able to figure it out from the pictures. I got four 2x4x16' and four 2x4x12' all pressure treated lumber for the legs. Three sheets of 5/8" T1-11 sheathing for the inside. (The dimensions nowadays are crazy, the stamp on the T1-11 actually reads something like 19/32"). Three sheets of the 1/4" T1-11 for the outside. Buy a box of 1 1/4 drywall screws and another box of 3" deck screws to hold the 2x4's together to make the legs. Also if you have maybe 1/2 a sheet of 3/4 pressure treated plywood you can make the bottom panel insert (floor) and use the rest for the roof/cap. Be sure to slice up the 5/8 thick T1-11 so the deep grooves run horizontal inside the tower. The 1/4 sheathing can be installed vertically for better shedding of water on the outside. Here are a couple links that should help. Go wild! it doesn't need to be perfect and if you want to make several of smaller dimensions that's ok too. Experiment. The minimum size for the insides is abound 8" across. If these birds have a 12" wingspan, I figured getting out could be tough though. If you have more than one tower on your property, space them well apart as these birds will defend their territory from other Swifts.

http://www.gwf.org/chimneytower.htm

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/A ... Swift.html

http://www.chimneyswifts.org/page16.html

http://www.concentric.net/~Dwa/page54.html

http://www.chimneyswifts.org/index.html

Have fun. Just maybe having swifts around will entice Martins to come by too!

[Guest]

Hi Fred, I measured our chimney and it's actually bigger than I thought it was. I measured around the outside (hard to measure from the inside! ) and if I figured right, subracting the thickness of the bricks all the way around, I come up with about 17-1/2" x 13-1/2" for the inside dimensions. It's about 25 feet tall (two-story house).

Just last evening when I was outside looking around in my gourd patch 8 chimney swifts were flying back and forth overhead. I thought it would be neat if they'd fly down the chimney for the night and I'd have a roost (although mighty small0 but after about half a dozen or so flybys, they took off for parts unknown. I'd be curious to know where they go at night, but I think it would be very difficult to follow them and if I'd try it, I'd say that's a car accident waiting to happen.

I do think you did a great job with that tower! Let us know if you get any nesting in it next spring/summer.