WHERE ARE THE BARN SWALLOWS? by Dan McAskill 
     
    
   
   
    
     Almost all older Islanders know the Barn Swallow. This metallic-blue, cinnamon-chimed migrant’s 
     
     quickly spreading forked tail graced most barn yards and backyards for many decades with its beauty and elegance. 
     
     Distinguished by its shape, colours, and long forked tail, these acrobatic fliers plucked insects on the wing and off 
     
     the surface of the water. They gathered mud, straw, and feathers to build their nests on the rafters of machinery 
     
     sheds, over lights and window tops in porches, and many other areas where shelter from wind and rain protected 
     
     their nests. Generations of Islanders looked forward to their return in spring and enjoyed their presence as they ate 
     
     hoards of biting and other insects. 
     
    

    
     Once very common on the Island, our breeding population of this species has declined dramatically in the 
     
     past several decades. Atlantic Canada has seen a Barn Swallow population decline of 7.6% per year with British 
     
     Columbia experiencing 14% per year. Bird Studies Canada’s research suggests that the North American 
     
     population has declined by 50% in the past 20 years. Some have theorized that changes in farming practices, the 
     
     loss of open, roofed porches and open sheds and barns, and bad spring weather are the primary causes. This is 
     
     probably part of the cause but a general decline of many other aerial foraging species such as the Common 
     
     Nighthawk, Chimney Swift, and Whip-poor-wills suggests more ominous reasons. For older residents, think back 
     
     thirty or forty years ago about the frequency of cleaning vehicle window shields and head lights as insect bodies 
     
     were smeared on these and other vehicle parts. Think also about the numbers of flies around yards and farms. 
     
     Much has changed in the way we manage structures, habitats, and agricultural production. 
     
    

    
     Unfortunately, finding funds and staff to support long term population monitoring systems, to determine 
     
     the cause of declines, and to test methods to build populations has been very difficult. One of the things you can 
     
     do is to protect nest sites and treasure their presence in the areas you frequent. In addition, donations to Bird 
     
     Studies Canada and other worthy research organization will help in monitoring populations and the research 
     
     needed to improve the fate of these birds. The contribution of nest records is useful (see Island Naturalist issue # 
     
     175) as is the submission of data on local occurrence. 
     
    
   
   
    
     NATURALISTS IN ACTION: 
     
    
   
   
    
     _ Bruce Pigot of Mount Stewart has always been a keen observer of nature. For over four decades he has 
     
     contributed significantly to the conservation of natural history records especially along the Hillsborough River’s 
     
     Mount Stewart marsh and the nearby Deroche Pond system. At public meetings, he consistently supported various 
     
     conservation efforts and sat on the Island Nature Trust’s land management committee. He also served on the land 
     
     stewardship committee of the Hillsborough River Association and supported the designation of the Hillsborough 
     
     River as a Canadian Heritage River. 
     
    

    
     From the Society’s viewpoint, perhaps his most important contributions are in his educational efforts as he 
     
     willingly shared his extensive natural history records with others, including students, naturalists, biologists, and 
     
     researchers. Bruce always has time to talk about important things like birds, mammals, marshes and ponds. 
     
    

    
     For many decades, Bruce Pigot has been one of those unsung heros who quietly has worked (often with wit 
     
     and understatement) to protect habitats of all kinds. His offering of land on Allisary Creek allowed the 
     
     establishment of a Ducks Unlimited Impoundment there, the creation of birding and hiking trails, enrichment of the 
     
     wetland habitat on the edge of the Mount Stewart saltmarsh, and much more. 
     
    

    
     Some of his specific contributions includezconducting, and documenting surveys of tern colonies in 1965 
     
     and 1966 (Island Naturalist # lll); identifying the location of a stand of White Ash near Mount Stewart and 
     
     recording the former presence of hop hombeam in the Mount Stewart region; collaborating with Charlie Bartlett, 
     
     formerly of the CWS and the Fish and Wildlife Division, on waterfowl studies on the Mount Stewart marsh and 
     
     Black Pond; collecting and submitting specimens and supporting data to the National Museum of Canada; serving 
     
     as one of the core biological resource people who worked on the nomination documents for the Canadian Heritage 
     
     Rivers proposal document for the Hillsborough River; researching and writing articles for the Island Naturalist and 
     
     the Hillsborough River Tidings; identifying and confirming the first provincial breeding record for the Northern 
     
    
   
   
    
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