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09/27/2017 12:00 AMA late summer event near an island on the lower Connecticut River is on the way: the annual gathering of hundreds of thousands of North American tree swallows, flying in constantly shifting formations over the river at dusk before landing in the reeds to sleep for the night. In about a month, it will all be over—the swallows will have flown south where they spend the winter months.
Shoreliners have several ways to take in this phenomenon, which happens in Connecticut only in this one spot, including one three-hour cruise that’ll benefit local students.
The Old Saybrook Land Trust (OSLT) will feature the tree swallow display on its annual evening swallow-watching cruise. This year’s OSLT fundraiser event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 15 from 5 to 8:30 p.m., with a cost of $50 per person. Proceeds benefit the OSLT’s scholarship fund, which annually awards a scholarship to a graduating Old Saybrook student pursuing environmental studies.
Travelers taking the 3 ½ hour cruise will board the vessel Adventure at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam. From there, captains Mark and Alex of Connecticut River Expeditions will maneuver the boat to a place on the river optimum for viewing the clouds of swallows returning to the reeds at dusk. The Adventure
is a newly refurbished, classic riverboat with flexible seating.
Essex Steam Train & Riverboat is also offering a front row seat to what many describe as an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. Every Friday and Saturday evening in September, the Becky Thatcher Riverboat will embark on a tree swallow cruise.
The Connecticut Audubon Society’s EcoTravel division also offers cruises, but they are completely sold out for the season. EcoTravel director Andrew Griswold said the society has a wait list and will consider adding additional cruises if there is sufficient interest—those who are interested should contact Priscilla Wood at pwood@ctaudubon.org.
No Two Exactly Alike
Griswold, who lives in Essex, says the birds travel to the Connecticut River island from all over New England, New York state, and as far as the Canadian Maritimes. They will fly as far south as the northern countries of South America, with many of the birds who stop to rest in Connecticut ending up near New Orleans.
Griswold, who has seen hundreds of displays, says no two are exactly alike.
“There are common themes. They might do a rising swirling ball. Then as the numbers build and build, at some signal, they go head first down into the marsh below to roost, and the descending column can be thin, like a narrow tornado, or very wide like a hurricane,” he says. “It can take from about two minutes to about 15 minutes for the giant swirling ball to empty into the marsh below.”
He said it’s likely the birds like to roost together because there is safety in numbers, and because it allows them to seek food sources together. As to why they perform what looks like an evening acrobatic ballet, the commonly accepted theory seems to be that the display “lends adherence to the group,” he says.
“It solidifies the group, allows them to connect with one another, and know that they are one entity. That they can do better as one, rather than as separate individuals,” he says.
As to the variations in the display, Griswold says that some researchers have said that as the group of birds does the same thing, there will be one or two individual birds that try something a bit different.
“That bird will turn to the left, or turn to the right...and if enough birds follow, the formation will change. If only a few follow, then they get back in line,” he says.
Those movements happen so quickly they can only be discerned through slow motion camera studies, he says, adding that the phenomenon is still being studied.
“There’s definitely still a bit of a mystery there as to why it happens, and room for more Ph.D. dissertations,” he says.
A Remarkable Phenomenon
Cathy Malin, a certified naturalist and OSLT member, says it is a remarkable phenomenon to see.
“There are so many swallows that gather [in the lower Connecticut River] each September that they show up on the weather radar. Weathermen like Joe Furey [on Fox 61] and others see and report on the swallows arrival,” she says. “The tree swallows came at dusk each day from as far as 50 miles away, from Long Island, New Haven, New London, and from a bit north of Middletown.”
Malin explained that during the day, the swallows all leave the river reeds to fly to their favorite spot to find food and then they eat all day. As sunset approaches, they all return to the lower Connecticut River reeds to gather, fly in shifting formations and then rest.
Do they ever crash into one another?
“Every once in a while, they will collide and bounce off each other,” says Malin. “Each swallow weighs between 0.06 and 0.09 ounces.”
Many migrating birds pass through this river area in September so sharp-eyed observers will likely view other bird species as well. OSLT Scholarship Cruise: Last year’s OSLT cruisers saw bald eagles and great egrets as well as the tree swallows. On-board the Adventure
, naturalists will educate riders about the swallow phenomenon and talk about other wildlife seen along the river during the trip.
Participants on the special OSLT swallow-watching cruise will be treated to appetizers, but anyone on the cruise can also bring their own picnic baskets, snacks, and a favorite beverage to enjoy while watching the birds gather and fly overhead in their aerial ballet. Seating on the cruise is limited; email OSLT at oldsaybrooklandtrust@oslt.org to reserve a spot.
For more information on Connecticut River Expedition’s swallow cruises, which run through Sunday, Oct. 1, visit www.ctriverexpeditions.org.
The Essex Steam Train & Riverboat expeditions will meet at the Essex Station on Fridays and Saturdays in September at 4:30 p.m. for a 5 p.m. departure. The three-hour cruise down the Connecticut River will be aboard the Becky Thatcher Riverboat. The train arrives back in the Essex Station between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m., depending upon time of swallow event. Food and bar service is available at the fully stocked bar (no BYOB is allowed). Due to time and length of excursion, the Swallow Cruise is not recommended for children under age 10. For more information, visit essexsteamtrain.com.