[DVOC] RFI Nighthawks in Philadelphia

Tue Nov 25 08:31:32 PST 2008

I have attached a request from a graduate student in Philadelphia who  
is doing work on nesting Common Nighthawks in the city.  If any of you  
can help him with information of recent or historic nesting sites,  
please reply to him directly.  His name is Michael Coll and his e-mail  
address is:

     mcoll23 at yahoo.com

-PAG

Paul A. Guris
President, Delaware Valley Ornithological Club
paul at paulagics.com

----- Forwarded message from mcoll23 at yahoo.com -----
     Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:18:51 -0800 (PST)
     From: mike coll <mcoll23 at yahoo.com>
Reply-To: mcoll23 at yahoo.com
  Subject: Nighthawks in Philadelphia

Hello,

I apologize in advance for this massive and impersonal group email, I  
do not know many of you, but I believe we have some common interests. 

I am a grad student at U Penn and as the final project before the  
completion of my degree I have chosen to write a management plan aimed  
at restoring and protecting Common Nighthawk and Chimney Swift  
populations in urban Philadelphia.  Both of these species have shown  
declines (more dramatic for the nighthawk) particularly in the urban  
habitats that have helped to sustain these species in regions where  
the majority of their natural habitat has been degraded or destroyed.

The plan that I am working on will most likely involve the  
construction of gravel nest patches for Nighthawks and chimney boxes  
for Swifts, as both gravel roofs and accessible chimneys have become  
more scarce and both species have less available habitat as a result.

Among the questions that I have not yet answered about this project  
are where the best locations for nest patches or swift boxes would  
be.  It seems logical to start in areas where these species are  
already living and expand from there.  So where are they living?

I have looked at the most recent BBC and there was only one confirmed  
nesting Common Nighthawk in all of Philadelphia.  I am sure there are  
more than this (I myself am fairly sure that a pair was nesting in  
south philly near 7th and reed st.) but confirming the nest locations  
of Nighthawks has some inherent difficulties.

So, I have sent this email to all of you in the hopes that this  
skattershot approach can turn up some anecdotal data about where  
Nighthawks are currently breeding or where they have nested in the  
past.  If you have seen Nighthawks in Philadelphia or surrounding  
areas like Manayunk please let me know where and when you have seen  
them.

Thanks for taking the time to help me, the Common Nighthawk is always  
a bird that I enjoy seeing and hearing during the summer and perhaps  
we can help it to continue to cohabitate with us in the urban  
landscape that we have created.

If anyone has other thoughts about this or knows someone who might, I  
would also be glad to hear those comments.  There is very little  
being done with this bird outside of Project Nighthawk in New  
Hampshire and I would be grateful for any input.

Michael Coll
University of Pennsylvania,
Masters of Environmental Studies
Land Steward
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
267.625.1725

----- End forwarded message -----

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Hello,

I apologize in advance for this massive and impersonal group email, I do not know many of you, but I believe we have some common interests. 

I am a grad student at U Penn and as the final project before the completion of my degree I have chosen to write a management plan aimed at restoring and protecting Common Nighthawk and Chimney Swift populations in urban Philadelphia.  Both of these species have shown declines (more dramatic for the nighthawk) particularly in the urban habitats that have helped to sustain these species in regions where the majority of their natural habitat has been degraded or destroyed.

The plan that I am working on will most likely involve the construction of gravel nest patches for Nighthawks and chimney boxes for Swifts, as both gravel roofs and accessible chimneys have become more scarce and both species have less available habitat as a result.

Among the questions that I have not yet answered about this project are where the best locations for nest patches or swift boxes would be.  It seems logical to start in areas where these species are already living and expand from there.  So where are they living?

I have looked at the most recent BBC and there was only one confirmed nesting Common Nighthawk in all of Philadelphia.  I am sure there are more than this (I myself am fairly sure that a pair was nesting in south philly near 7th and reed st.) but confirming the nest locations of Nighthawks has some inherent difficulties.

So, I have sent this email to all of you in the hopes that this skattershot approach can turn up some anecdotal data about where Nighthawks are currently breeding or where they have nested in the past.  If you have seen Nighthawks in Philadelphia or surrounding areas like Manayunk please let me know where and when you have seen them.

Thanks for taking the time to help me, the Common Nighthawk is always a bird that I enjoy seeing and hearing during the summer and perhaps we can help it to continue to cohabitate with us in the urban landscape that we have created.

If anyone has other thoughts about this or knows someone who might, I would also be glad to hear those comments.  There is very little being done with this bird outside of Project Nighthawk in New Hampshire and I would be grateful for any input.

Michael Coll
University of Pennsylvania,
Masters of Environmental Studies
Land Steward
Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust
267.625.1725

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