Post by swampfox on Jul 14, 2013 13:35:56 GMT -6
At about 9:45 a.m. this morning, I found another Cave Swallow. Today's bird, another juvenile, was found perched with 100+ other swallows on a power/telephone wire across Beard's Lake adjacent to Beard's Lake Campground on the south side of the eastern half of Millwood Dam. This juvenile was one of the paler variants. I only had binoculars and only noticed buff feathering coming in behind the eyes and below the blackish "cap". The dusky "smudge" is a good mark for juvenile Cave Swallows. I suspect that, since Cave Swallows molt on their breeding grounds prior to migration, the dusky "smudge" likely becomes replaced with buff feathering as the season progresses. So, this mark may be entirely lacking on juveniles seen elsewhere later in the summer and fall. With the disappearance of the dusky "smudge", the "capped" appearance of this species will become even more pronounced as it potentially becomes surrounded with more and more buff.
The records for Cave Swallows in Arkansas currently span the period between 4th week of March (24th) to the third week of October (17th). As it seems more and more likely that the species might already be nesting in small numbers somewhere at least in southwestern Arkansas, I suspect this time-frame will eventually become its period of summer residence. A goodly number of Cave Swallow records already exist in southeastern Arkansas. I suspect the scrutinizing of flocks of migrant swallows in other sections of the state will also yield, at least, occasional Cave Swallows. My project for next year is to make a concerted effort to find Cave Swallows breeding in Arkansas.
I've attached a trio of passable quality images of today's juvenile. They were taken from an even greater distance than those taken of the first juvenile found at First Old River about 2 weeks ago and were just as highly cropped-if not somewhat moreso.
Charles Mills
Texarkana TX 75503
The records for Cave Swallows in Arkansas currently span the period between 4th week of March (24th) to the third week of October (17th). As it seems more and more likely that the species might already be nesting in small numbers somewhere at least in southwestern Arkansas, I suspect this time-frame will eventually become its period of summer residence. A goodly number of Cave Swallow records already exist in southeastern Arkansas. I suspect the scrutinizing of flocks of migrant swallows in other sections of the state will also yield, at least, occasional Cave Swallows. My project for next year is to make a concerted effort to find Cave Swallows breeding in Arkansas.
I've attached a trio of passable quality images of today's juvenile. They were taken from an even greater distance than those taken of the first juvenile found at First Old River about 2 weeks ago and were just as highly cropped-if not somewhat moreso.
Charles Mills
Texarkana TX 75503
