On Saturday June 9th Linda and Ron Core and their family were kind enough to share their beautiful farm property with SFN members. We began our hike at the Bank Swallow nesting site, Ron explained how each year he continues to provide the perfect habitat for a population of breeding Bank Swallows. Ron uses a backhoe to reface a sandy bank, as he has discovered over the years that the Bank Swallows will only nest on a vertical slope. Bank Swallows are on the Canadian List of threatened species which means that steps, like those taken by the Core family, are needed to ensure that these striking birds do not become endangered.
There are six species of Swallows that can be found in Ontario, each of which have the telltale forked tail and relatively long pointed wings. The Bank Swallow can be distinguished from other swallows by its dark breast band.
After watching the nesting colony we enjoyed a leisurely walk through a woodland trail and along a brushy area where we were lucky enough to see a Great Crested Flycatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Red-tailed Hawk, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Wood Pewee, Eastern Kingbird, a pair of Green Herons, Great Blue Heron, Savanah Sparrows, and other birds common to this area. On the drive into the Core woodland we were also treated to sightings of pairs of Bobolink!
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Before leaving we enjoyed another visit to the nesting colony of Bank Swallows where we watched and admired these beautiful birds as they flew overhead going back and forth into their burrows in the sandy bank.
It was a pleasure to meet the Core family and view these wonderful birds. A huge thank you to Linda and Ron Core and their family.
Blog Post:
- Roberta Buchanan
Photos:
- Mark Buchanan
- Herman Giethoorn
- Denise Shephard
That was a lovely write-up. Thank you!