Cave Swallows 11/23 &11/24/24

     The past few weeks I have been seeing reports of multiple cave swallows both to the north and the south of me.  The Rhode Island GroupMe has been alerting to the rare swallows as has the Cape May Bird Observatory GroupMe.  Cave swallow had yet to make my life list.  I have been looking for them knowing that any swallow flying around now would be a great candidate for cave swallow.  

On Saturday I got a late afternoon text that a cave swallow was reported in Point Pleasant.  I have not been chasing birds lately, but this was one that I needed.  It was almost 3 o’clock and I had to be somewhere at 4:30.  I did the math in my head: about a half hour to get there and about a half hour to get to where I needed to be later.  That would give me about a half hour to look.  Off I went.  

I arrived at the reported location at the boardwalk and walked up and down a few blocks each direction, north and south.  No luck and my time was running out.  As I was walking back to my car I saw a couple, one with a camera and one with binoculars, and it looked like they were tracking something.  I walked towards them, and they asked if I was looking for the swallow.  My “Yes” response was answered with, “We just saw it.”  I elected to push my time and the three of us kept looking for it.  A few minutes later, we saw it fly around over our heads.  I couldn’t get a picture, but at least I finally saw one.  I left for where I had to be and made it there by 4:32.  It was all good.
Cave Swallows 11/24/24.  © S. Weiss

Later at home, I told my wife about my adventure.  But my story ended with me saying how I felt like I cheated since it was a quick look with no photo.  She told me it still counts but I should go back in the morning and try for better looks.  So, I did.

A few minutes after arriving at the location on Sunday, I saw two cave swallows circle overhead in the same spot as yesterday.  I hung around for a while to get some photos.  I got okay photos of one flying overhead but couldn’t get one perched.   My views were much better today, and I got some photographic evidence. I was content and headed out.  

Soon after I left, my friend Alex texted me that there were now three.  As I started to write this, I was alerted that there were four cave swallows.  That’s okay.  As my other friend Larry always says, “You only need one!”

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