It’s August 29th, and the swift reports continue to trickle in. We do intend to write a season ender summary report soon – but we cannot possibly embark on such a thing when a) people keep seeing swifts and; b) you guys keep obliging us with more reports! We are currently on the way to over 600 separate data lines on our database, significantly more than was reported in 2017, and that is all down to the remarkable efforts of you, our volunteers!
A weekly update is therefore needed, and let us start with the brilliant Selkirk Birdwatchers. At Lower Fort Garry, Linda and Nia monitored on August 19th, recording a bizarre sequence of 11 entries and 11 exits. The final report read as follows:
‘We didn’t see any go into the chimney and stay. Maybe they entered for the night after we left when we could no longer see. 5 were flying at 6:44. ‘
Maybe the next report would clear things up. On August 21st, Nia and Linda sent the following:
‘Linda and I monitored the fort last night and had good results. It looks like the nest has succeeded, and Ma and Pa and the three kids all went to bed for the night in the white chimney.’
Of course, things never seem as simple as they should be. On August 22nd, again it was Nia and Linda:
‘Linda and I did the fort last night and didn’t get the results we hoped for. We hoped all would have left and gone to a roosting site. With only 2 entering the chimney and what we took as the family of 5 flying around tonight and last night we don’t know what is happening.’
Swifts eh, they usually leave us saying ‘we don’t know what is happening’. It’s good that most of us are in the same boat!
The next evening, Linda was joined by Linda E, to check again, and well, there was a brief entry and exit, but little more apart from 3 birds in the air early on. On the 25th, Nia returned with Linda and had 3 entries, 2 exits, and 4 in the air.
Who knows what is going on here!
On a related subject, Gerald reports from Lockport on the 28th August:
‘I spent a half hour at Lockport bridge this evening from 8:10 PM to 8:40 PM. I noted 2 entries at 8:19 PM and 3 entries at 8:21 PM. I did not see any exits. I did not see any flying around, just entries. Maybe this helps with some of the mystery.’
This probably means that they will all return to the Fort this evening!
In Selkirk itself, the group continued to watch at the Mental Health Centre. On the 20th, Nia, Linda and Robert had 2 birds use the Infirmary chimney, and 6 enter the large stack. Robert returned on the 25th, and saw 2 fly into the large stack and zero in the Infirmary. Linda and Nia continued with some major dedication to the cause, watching a single swift use the large stack. It looks as though Selkirk was all but finished for the season (although not Lockport or Lower Fort Garry).
A simpler picture from David in La Broquerie. He reported on the 22nd:
‘A VERY successful watch. The most I’ve ever seen in many years of viewing. 13 in the large chimney and 4 in the small chimney for a total of 17 (if my math is correct…..). No exits were observed.
Early in the watch period there were several birds that flew over ‘examining’ the chimneys to see which or what was better and then several that ‘fluttered’ in as if they were unfamiliar with the chimney. Later the birds appeared out of nowhere and went straight down. I wonder if there were some migrating birds roosting for a pause in their journey.’
Not so exciting for Gord in Portage on the 22nd:
‘I was viewing at Trinity Church this evening. I had no entries this evening and only saw 1 Swift in the air. It looks like the season is coming to an end in Portage.’
In Dauphin, Ken and Jan watched the main roost chimney and reported, again from the 22nd:
‘8:37 – Saw 1 swift flying by twice and on the second pass a swift came out of the chimney.
8:46 – sunset
About 9:04 – 4 swifts flew by going E to W.
9:08 – 2 went down
9:09 – a single went down
9:20 – too dark to see with one swift still unaccounted for (but there are 2 other chimneys it could use)’
Swifts in Dauphin, but as Margaret and Millie reported from Brandon following a zero count at their chimney:
‘It appears that the swifts have started their migration.’
Finally, to Winnipeg. Frank and Jacquie were the only guys to get out, this time in St James (having been doing this since the crack of dawn, I have an excuse). They reported back that:
‘Well, we went to Saint James from 19:50 to 21:05 (sunset 20:32).
28 degrees, 0% cloud cover, no precipitation, moderate breeze.
NO CHSW SEEN OVERHEAD OR NEAR THE CHIMNEYS.’
Tim did have a pair on the 24th in the early evening over his house in Riverview, so they were certainly still around in Winnipeg.
And that it the update. Maybe there will be one more update – it is Wednesday after all!
Finally, if you are sitting on any data, please try to submit it as quickly as possible, we want to get the data summaries completed and posted for your interest as soon as possible.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed data this week!
— Tim Poole
