Roger Tory Peterson said “The truth of the matter is, the birds could very well live without us, but many — perhaps all — of us would find life incomplete, indeed almost intolerable without the birds.”
We are living in unsettled times, but much comfort and enjoyment can be found by staying connected to nature and birds. Stepping outside now, we are treated to the sounds of honking geese as they fly north in their ribbon-like strings. Robins are adding their voice to the dawn chorus. The distinctive “chip” of juncos resonates in the woods. It won’t be long before our Chimney Swifts add their chittering noises to the mix!
Amanda and Tim have been tracking Chimney Swift movement northward. You can follow the action using this eBird link: https://ebird.org/map/chiswi?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=cur
The spring migration is proceeding well with swifts reaching Illinois and Ohio. Arrivals in Canada will take place in the next several weeks. Our dear friend and super swift supporter in Ontario, Winnie Wake, shared “In an almost complete set of records going back to the late 1870s, London’s earliest date was Apr 2, 1967. The second earliest date was April 8, 1954. Prior to 1950 the earliest date was April 15, 1887. Most years, swifts show up here in the last few days or week of April.” In Manitoba, lone swifts have been spotted in early May, and the birds are usually about in greater numbers by mid-May. My Mother’s Day tradition is to head to the church in St Adolphe to scan the sky in the afternoon, as the menfolk slave over a celebratory dinner.
MCSI will continue to evaluate monitoring protocols and dates as ongoing health advisories are issued. Clearly, our normal lives are being challenged. But we can still keep grounded by looking up to the birds and, hopefully, by looking forward to sharing some swift time together (at a suitable social distance of course!).
— Take care, keep well, happy birding, Barb.
