They’re back!

MCSI Stay-at-Home Chimney Swift Monitoring for Summer 2020

It’s time everyone! The first two Chimney Swifts of the spring were seen by Lynnea Parker last night flying over Shorehill Drive in Winnipeg. This means it is about time we start our monitoring for 2020!

Due to COVID-19 impacting our programming, we have put our heads together to come up with a stay-at-home monitoring plan for Chimney Swifts in Manitoba for spring 2020. We ask that you do not monitor from public spaces. Instead, this program is set up for monitoring from your own property, backyard, balcony, or window. We encourage people in all locations from rural countryside, to small town, to downtown to join in. We have tried to make the monitoring and reporting process as easy as possible. So hopefully you can sit back, relax, and see (or hear) some swifts!

he monitoring period will take place starting Wednesday, May 20^th. We will monitor every Wednesday from May 20^th to June 24^th (rain dates will be the Thursday of the same week). We ask that you start monitoring 20 minutes before sunset and continue monitoring for 10 minutes after sunset (for a total of 30 minutes). Similar to normal Chimney Swift monitoring, please also report basic weather conditions such as temperature, wind, and precipitation. The full monitoring protocol can be found here . Reporting is online through our website. The reporting form can be found here.

While our survey is focused on Chimney Swifts, we also ask that you keep an eye and ear out for other aerial insectivores (birds that catch insects while in flight) such as swallows and nightjars. Members of these groups of birds may be an indicator that one part of possible Chimney Swift habitat (food) is present. Additionally, many of these other aerial insectivores are also experiencing steep population declines, so monitoring their abundance is useful. As this year’s program is new, we have added a handy aerial insectivore identification factsheet at the end of the Stay-at-Home Monitoring Protocol.

While we are limited in our ability to gather this year, we hope you all can join us for this new and exciting chapter in Chimney Swift monitoring. Thank you to all of our volunteers past, present and future, as we get ready to welcome back our Chimney Swifts in 2020! If you have any questions about monitoring, the protocol or the reporting form please send me an email at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.

Amanda Shave, Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative Coordinator, on behalf of the MCSI Steering Committee (Christian Artuso, Ron Bazin, Neil Butchard, Lewis Cocks, Ken De Smet, Jack Dubois, Nicole Firlotte, Frank Machovec, Tim Poole, Barb Stewart and Rob Stewart)