In the Ledyard Bridge area this evening, swallow activity was 
outstanding. Between 5:30 and 6:30 we watched the numbers build from ~30 
initially, to a maximum of ~50, and then back to ~30. Our impression was 
that the group was not static, but constantly changing as new arrivals 
came up river, and others moved on or departed to roost.

All species were feeding close to the water, so their reflections 
doubled our fascination (and made counting tricky).

The show is highly recommended, especially because it isn't guaranteed 
to occur every year here. Differentiating between all 5 species is not 
always trivial, but very rewarding if you study the whole scene (e.g., 
different flight patterns) rather than concentrating on looking for 
field marks from the book. Try varying your viewing angle by moving 
around a bit to improve lighting. Also, watch for size differences when 
flight paths intersect. Be patient!

Doug & Spencer Hardy, George Clark
Norwich

Location:     Ledyard Bridge Area- CT River, Norwich
Observation date:     4/28/10
Number of species:     17

Wood Duck     1
Mallard     2
Turkey Vulture     1
Rock Pigeon     1
American Crow     4
Tree Swallow     45
Northern Rough-winged Swallow     6
Bank Swallow     2
Cliff Swallow     1
Barn Swallow     4
European Starling     5
Yellow-rumped Warbler     1
Pine Warbler     2
Song Sparrow     1
Northern Cardinal     1
Red-winged Blackbird     2
Common Grackle     1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org/vt)

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