Date: 6/21/25 4:17 am From: jerry Kruth <00000005ead0dac6-dmarc-request...> Subject: Re: Bank Swallow colony, Crawford Co.
Nice post Kendall,
"The harder you work' the luckier you get."
Jerry KruthPgh
On Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 02:10:32 PM EDT, Grove, Deborah Shuey <dsg4...> wrote:
Reading this on the way home from atlassing at Cambria county blocks prompted Greg and I to check the New Enterprise quarry in Huntingdon county for BANS.
None to be seen. I did find some last year.
Deb
From: Bird discussion list for Pennsylvania <PABIRDS...> on behalf of Michael Fialkovich <0000012b4af48ab0-dmarc-request...>
Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 12:52 PM
To: pabirds <PABIRDS...>
Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] Bank Swallow colony, Crawford Co.
Great find!
I am always happy to hear about Bank Swallow colonies. It pays to explore.
Mike Fialkovich
Pittsburgh Area
Allegheny County
On Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 11:04:52 AM EDT, Kendall Zook <kendallzook98...> wrote:
Hello all,
I've been suspicious for some time that Bank Swallows have a nest near the
vicinity of the Seneca District of the Erie National Wildlife Refuge. I do
landbird surveys for the refuge and I regularly get them on my survey
routes, too regularly to be simply passing through. But I didn't know of any
active colonies, and a search on eBird didn't shed any light either. Today
after I finished my survey route I decided to nose around and see if I could
find a colony at any of the local gravel pits. The first pit I checked was
abandoned, and no swallows, so I kept nosing along. I was pretty sure I was
on the right track because I saw several Bank Swallows flying over the
fields as I drove. I found an unmarked gravel pit on Mackey Hill Rd. that I
didn't even know about, but I knew immediately I had found what I was
looking for because I could see swallows circling and diving over the pit. I
didn't have time to watch for long, so my estimates were very quick, but a
cloud of at least 50 Bank Swallows was circling around a colony with an
estimated 150 holes. I observed birds entering and exiting nesting holes, so
I assume they are feeding young. Obviously birds are foraging far from the
colony, so I didn't see all the adults, but there could easily be a 75-100
pairs nesting. I'm so excited because I didn't know if Bank Swallows nested
in Crawford Co. anymore. I certainly didn't know of any active colonies in
the past years.
