Bird Series
In January 2011, I was invited to join a new team competing in the Carden Challenge where teams compete to identify the greatest number of bird species in a 24 hour period. My song ID skills at the time were not great so I spent the next three months studying and listening and practicing. At the time, I thought I was doing it just for the Challenge. Now I realize that those months spent learning have led to some pretty fantastic work opportunities.
I was interested in birds long before I had any clue that geocaching existed. So when it came time to place some caches, what better way to combine the two interests. How many of these birds can you identify?
Barn Swallow
In 2012 the barn swallow was added to the growing list of species of concern in Ontario. Barn swallow populations have experienced a significant decline, as much as 80 percent since 1970. The reasons for this decline are not clearly defined but may, in part, be due to loss of habitat as more and more of the old open wood barns are torn down or collapse and are replaced by structures less suitable for swallow nesting. An increase in insecticide use could mean that there is less food for these birds to eat. In recent years, we have experienced springs that turn from warm to cold. Birds that have migrated north during the warmer weather find themselves unable to find anything to eat when the weather turns cold and the insects stop flying.
The long deeply forked tail separates barn swallows from other swallow species. These birds feed almost exclusively in flight often flying very low to the ground or over the water. When I was doing bird survey work here in 2012, barn swallows were swooping low over this field
Container is a large-ish pill bottle. Push down and twist to remove the lid.
