Monitoring Chimney Swifts in Manitoba in 2018
As the warm brightness of March fades away, to be replaced by the cold starkness of April, I am sure that very few of us are thinking about Chimney Swifts! However, this is the perfect time to prepare for the arrival of our feathered friends, with just a month to go before the season kicks into gear.We have some big ideas for monitoring this summer, and we are going to share some of these ideas in a series of blogposts over the coming days. These can be summarised as follows:
1. Participation in the National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP)
2. Monitoring nesting and roosting chimneys outside the NRMP period
3. Monitoring of special projects in Wolsey and Assiniboine Park
4. Identifying new sites for Chimney Swifts in Manitoban towns and cities
Watch this space for more information on each of these themes.
Finally, we have just checked the current migration status of Chimney Swift on eBird. Sightings are pretty widespread across the southeastern USA. The most northern record is in Ohio, and most northwesterly is in Arizona. However, and to no ones surprise, indications are that migration is currently in a ‘frozen‘ state, due to this unseasonably cold weather. We still however expect to see our first swifts in early to mid-May.Please look out for follow-up emails over the coming days.
-Tim, on behalf of the MCSI Steering Committee
