On Tuesday 27 July 2010, Mark Milton & I set out a second time to check out a Bank Swallow colony in Henwood Twp, and one in Beauchamp Twp. Mission 1/2 accomplished! We were very easily distracted. Having to stop off in Haileybury, we simply had to check out the shoreline, where we spotted an unspotted Spotted Sandpiper, likely a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper, and chased after flitting warblers and sparrows. Shaking ourselves from this distraction, we headed for Henwood Twp. We were again distracted by such as Kestrels, Sparrows, etc. along the way. We did reach our destination, and after obtaining permission, checked out the pit. The North face of the pit had active nests in it. There were about 2 dozen birds flying around. I suspect that most of the birds had left the nesting area, having finished the nesting stage, as most other swallow species had by now. The North and North-east face had as many as 246 nest excavations in it. We took overlapping pictures of the pit. Other sections of the pit had burrows also, but did not appear to be in use. Overall, we counted as many as 328 excavations. Here is a picture of a portion of the occupied face. Not counting the overlaps, it contains 77 burrows. There are almost 100 burrows in this picture. Also included: a picture of our unspotted Spotted Sandpiper. The colony in Beauchamp Twp will have to be done another day. The owners of the property were not home when we checked. We ended the run by visiting Hilliardton Marsh and were treated to several other species.
