All,

Returning from a morning meeting of the Maritime Committee of the Port of Cleveland (where support for a soft opening of Dike 14 was announced!) I encountered a notable natural history event.

Over the water of the pond at E. 105th and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive on Cleveland's east side at 10:09 am, there were 1500+ Chimney Swifts working the airspace over the water's surface. This dizzying demonstration of fast flight under the most crowded conditions was no doubt in response to abundant insect prey concentrated near the pond. Fortunately air traffic control must have been wide awake and on the job as the swifts were staying within 100 vertical feet of the water's surface and the pond has a surface area of less than 1 acre. No collisions were reported. Largest concentration of swifts I have encountered in Ohio.

Cheers,

Harvey

Harvey B. Webster
Director, Wildlife Resources
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
1 Wade Oval Drive
Cleveland, OH 44106
216-213-4600 ext 3290
216-231-5919 fax
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