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I have yet to hear a single Common Nighthawk in Duluth this year and = also I have yet to see one during the nesting period in Duluth. I know = this August I will see several hundred Common Nighthawks migrating over = Duluth but in the last 3-4 years during the months of May - July I have = yet to hear/see one in Duluth! When I was a teenager I use to hear = nighthawks in my neighborhood and in other neighborhoods in Duluth every = summer. These days you be lucky to hear one in Duluth! Back in the = early 80's (forgot exact date) on a late August or early September = evening (forgot month LOL !!) Kim Eckert and I counted over 10,000 = nighthawks migrating down the northshore of Lake Superior. I always = wonder each late August when the nighthawks are migrating over Duluth in = the hundreds and times in the thousands, where did these nighthawks come = from? Are these birds from St. Louis County, Lake County, Cook County, = Itasca County and counties further west? Or are these birds from = Ontario, migrating along the northshore of Lake Superior? Some say the roofing methods have changed and that the rubber roofs are = to hot for nesting birds. That is true but during the 5-6 years in the = flat roofing trade, many developers were getting away from rubber roofs = systems and going to a built up roof system (tar/rocks). It's cheaper = for developers to go with a rubber roof system but the warranty is = shorter and their is more a maintance issue with these roofs vs. a hot = tar roof that have a longer warranty and less maintenance. Built up = roof cost more because their is more material used to put up a built up = roof system. The Common Nighthawks prefer the hot tar roofs vs. rubber = roofs. The main reason is (again) that rubber roofs are very hot on a = warm day. Yes some rubber roof systems have rocks on them and the rocks = are a river wash rock ( smooth and rounded rocks). The rocks hold down = the rubber roof as a ballast. The rocks are spread out very carefully = with large push brooms and the rocks are never piled on top of each = other in layers. So if a killdeer or a nighthawk tried to nest on one of = these rubber roofs the eggs will most likely cook and the adults will = have hard boiled eggs! On a built up roof, you use a different rock ( = pea rocks or class 5 rock ) and the rocks are tarred into the roof = system. A guy will mop on some tar and another person tosses rocks on it = and cover all the tar up using push brooms and the back side of rakes. = The roofs are cooler and do not soak up heat like rubber roofs and the = pea rocks are small and easier for birds like nighthawks to make a nest = or a bowl amongst the rocks. I noticed some of the larger buildings being developed in Duluth (Duluth = Clinic, St. Lukes and St. Mary's, all the new hotels along Canal Park = Drive and all the new condos) are all using the rubber roof systems. = Many of the old built up roofs in Duluth have been torn off and new = rubber roofs were put in their place instead. When I worked in the = roofing trade I spent more time on rubber roofs and ripping off built = roofs. The reason is that engineers say that the winter temps in Duluth = are tough on built up roofs systems with the tar cracking, flashing = around the perimeter of the roof breaking down, the fluctuation of temps = create air bubbles under the tar paper and the bubbles soon crack open = causing leaks in the roofs. Rubber roofs work better in the cold temps = in Duluth. When I was taking apprenticeship classes in the Twin Cities, = the teachers told us that the roofing contractors were tearing up rubber = roof systems and going back built up roof systems because the built up = roofs in the Twin Cities area last longer vs. the rubber roof system. I = believe the rubber on these roofs in the Twin Cities get very hot and = break down especially along the seams and around the flashing where you = use calk and glue. So that is good news for nighthawks in the Twin Cities but Duluth's = population of nighthawks are going to continue to fall because of a lack = of nesting locations on buildings. =20 Michael Hendrickson Duluth, Minnesota Minnesota Birding Treks http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/ ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C6A541.52B13400 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2900.2912" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>I have yet to hear a single = Common=20 Nighthawk in Duluth this year and also I have yet to see one during the = nesting=20 period in Duluth. I know this August I will see several hundred Common=20 Nighthawks migrating over Duluth but in the last 3-4 years during the = months of=20 May - July I have yet to hear/see one in Duluth! When I was a = teenager I=20 use to hear nighthawks in my neighborhood and in other neighborhoods in = Duluth=20 every summer. These days you be lucky to hear one in Duluth! Back = in the=20 early 80's (forgot exact date) on a late August or early September = evening=20 (forgot month LOL !!) Kim Eckert and I counted over=20 10,000 nighthawks migrating down the northshore of Lake=20 Superior. I always wonder each late August when = the nighthawks are=20 migrating over Duluth in the hundreds and times in the=20 thousands, where did these nighthawks come from? Are these = birds from=20 St. Louis County, Lake County, Cook County, Itasca County and counties=20 further west? Or are these birds from Ontario, migrating = along=20 the northshore of Lake Superior?</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>Some say the roofing methods = have changed=20 and that the rubber roofs are to hot for nesting birds. That is = true but=20 during the 5-6 years in the flat roofing trade, many developers were = getting=20 away from rubber roofs systems and going to a built up roof system=20 (tar/rocks). It's cheaper for developers to go with a rubber = roof=20 system but the warranty is shorter and their is more a maintance issue = with=20 these roofs vs. a hot tar roof that have a longer warranty and less = maintenance. Built up roof cost more because their is more = material used=20 to put up a built up roof system. The Common Nighthawks = prefer=20 the hot tar roofs vs. rubber roofs. The main reason is (again) that = rubber=20 roofs are very hot on a warm day. Yes some rubber roof systems = have rocks=20 on them and the rocks are a river wash rock ( smooth and rounded = rocks).=20 The rocks hold down the rubber roof as a ballast. The rocks = are=20 spread out very carefully with large push brooms and the rocks are = never=20 piled on top of each other in layers. So if a killdeer or a=20 nighthawk tried to nest on one of these rubber roofs the eggs will = most=20 likely cook and the adults will have hard boiled eggs! = On a=20 built up roof, you use a different rock ( pea rocks or class 5 rock = ) and=20 the rocks are tarred into the roof system. A guy will mop on some tar = and=20 another person tosses rocks on it and cover all the tar up using = push=20 brooms and the back side of rakes. The roofs are cooler and do = not=20 soak up heat like rubber roofs and the pea rocks are small and easier=20 for birds like nighthawks to make a nest or a bowl amongst the=20 rocks.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>I noticed some of the larger = buildings=20 being developed in Duluth (Duluth Clinic, St. Lukes and St. Mary's, all = the new=20 hotels along Canal Park Drive and all the new condos) are all using the = rubber=20 roof systems. Many of the old built up roofs in Duluth have been torn = off and=20 new rubber roofs were put in their place instead. When I worked in = the=20 roofing trade I spent more time on rubber roofs and ripping off = built=20 roofs. The reason is that engineers say that the winter temps in = Duluth are=20 tough on built up roofs systems with the tar cracking, flashing around = the=20 perimeter of the roof breaking down, the fluctuation of temps=20 create air bubbles under the tar paper and the bubbles soon crack = open=20 causing leaks in the roofs. Rubber roofs work better in the=20 cold temps in Duluth. When I was taking = apprenticeship=20 classes in the Twin Cities, the teachers told us that the roofing=20 contractors were tearing up rubber roof systems and going back built up = roof=20 systems because the built up roofs in the Twin Cities area last = longer vs.=20 the rubber roof system. I believe the rubber on these = roofs in=20 the Twin Cities get very hot and break down especially along the seams = and=20 around the flashing where you use calk and glue.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>So that is good news = for nighthawks=20 in the Twin Cities but Duluth's population of nighthawks are going = to=20 continue to fall because of a lack of nesting locations on=20 buildings.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" = size=3D2> </FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3D"Comic Sans MS" size=3D2>Michael = Hendrickson<BR>Duluth,=20 Minnesota<BR>Minnesota Birding Treks<BR><A=20 href=3D"http://webpages.charter.net/mmhendrickson/">http://webpages.chart= er.net/mmhendrickson/</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01C6A541.52B13400--