[birdky] Shorebirds Thermal Soaring
- From: David Roemer <dlroemer@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bird ky <birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2008 08:54:29 -0700 (PDT)
On Thursday, 10 July 2008, I witnessed an event which I had never before seen,
that of shorebirds thermal soaring. A helicopter doing fly-bys over the
airstrip at Ft. Campbell flushed a flock of shorebirds from Morgan Pond
consisting of 6 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Short-billed Dowitchers, and a Least
Sandpiper. The shorebirds circled a few times and I expected them to land and
resume feeding. Instead, they kept circling and gaining altitude.
After a minute or two it was apparent that they were utilizing the lift in a
thermal. As they ascended, they began wheeling in unison like a flock of white
pelicans, alternating flapping with long periods of gliding, and with the Least
Sandpiper having to flap more than the others. I switched from binocular to
scope and watched them for over 10 minutes as they transformed from birds to
tiny specks before vanishing into the clouds, leaving me standing there in
amazement.
David L. Roemer
Bowling Green, Ky.
================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBERS==============
The BIRDKY Mailing List requires you to sign
your messages with first & last name, city, &
state abbreviation.
--------------------------------------------------
To post to this mailing list, send e-mail to:
birdky@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
--------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send e-mail to:
birdky-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject line.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Visit the Kentucky Ornithological Society
web site at http://www.biology.eku.edu/kos.htm
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
BIRDKY List Manager: Gary Ritchison, Richmond, KY
E-mail: gary.ritchison@xxxxxxx
Other related posts:
- » [birdky] Shorebirds Thermal Soaring
