Middle of Summer Swift-watching
Salutations dear volunteers! I hope you have been keeping count, because it is now our 7th week as Swift-seeking opportunists in Manitoba. As we fast approach the middle of summer, the season for Swift feeding and meteor showers arrives. I recommend trying to catch the meteor shower that will start to be visible on the 17th. May the lucky few make a wish upon a star to see Swifts properly nesting in their chimneys. With Swifts being more active in the daytime (if they are nesting), that means there will be more action to look forward too! Let us move right along into the data!
This week, we have news from Winnipeg, Dauphin, Selkirk, Lockport, Brandon and Erickson!
First, we have Breanne who has watched the Foodfare Chimney on Maryland. Starting from June 9, the 3rd MCSI night, she confirmed two Swifts in the chimney. There were also many other guests, such as pigeons, gulls and eight nighthawks! For the 4th MCSI on the 16th, it was again a single pair that entered the chimney. For the last MCSI night on the 23rd, it was again a pair that entered. All entries were made after 9 pm.
I think this is the first time I have gotten data from Erickson, Manitoba! I have Marissa to thank. Marissa originally saw swifts in the sky while walking around Erikson, but saw no obvious chimney that they were using. So, she picked a candidate chimney to watch on the night of June 22nd. The chimney is situated on 49 Main St. Unfortunately, no swifts were seen flying overhead or using the chimney. We do not have any confirmed chimney use in Erikson, despite occasional Chimney Swift reports over the years. MCSI does have a list of possible candidate chimneys though, so if you are ever in the area with no evening plans, send us an email and we can send you some Chimney Swift monitoring options!
On June 26 back in Winnipeg, Barb and Rob observed the Assiniboine Park Zoo tower in the morning. There were no entries or exits at the chimney, however, three were seen in the air west of the tower. I wonder if the hole made by the Pileated Woodpecker is influencing the Swifts, it is a new situation for our program (and likely the Swifts) to be in!
Now we hear from the Selkirk gang! Let us start at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. On the 27th, Linda and Winona watched the yellow-brick chimney. There were two entries at 9:55 PM, and nothing more. About one to six Swifts were always flying above. The stack tower (which replaced the large pumphouse stack chimney) also had two entries at 9:54 PM. Jumping to July 7, we have Gerald, who watched multiple chimneys. One entry each was observed in the infirmary building chimney and in the attached new Chimney Swift tower also on the infirmary building. Both entries were made close together, around 9:52 PM. The west and east free-standing Chimney Swift towers had no entries.
Continuing through Selkirk (still on July 7), we have 367 Main St. Ray and Sybil watched for the night and caught two entries. Winona was over at the Merchants Hotel during daytime on July 8th, and had a Swift coming in and out over the monitoring period. On average, the Swift went out for 20 minutes before coming back and switching with its mate. The switching occurred within a minute of the other coming back. This time interval and switching is an indicator of hatched eggs in the chimney!
Glennis and Louanne went downtown to the Orange Block building’s chimneys in Brandon. For the night of the 30th, we had one exit at the beginning, and two entries at the end in the north chimney. Jumping to July 8, we had three Swifts seen coming into the north chimney by Louanne, but unfortunately no entries in the west chimney by Glennis.
Gerald went out to Lower Fort Garry on the 5th of July in the evening. Unfortunately, no Swifts were seen. It may have been because of the chilly weather in the evening. Amanda made a trip to Lower Fort Garry on June 9th in the morning. There was no activity in the brick chimney on the red-roofed building, but over on the limestone chimney on the southeast building there were two sets of entries/ exits about an hour apart. Gerald was back there on the evening of the 9th, there was one entry and exit in the evening on the southeast building chimney though! Both sightings seemed like incubation exchanges. Really hoping this nest is a success!
Back to the 8th, Gerald and Tim V. went to Lockport to check on the Lock and Dam Maintenance compound. The north chimney had one entry, followed by an exit soon after. While, over in the south chimney, there were two entries around 9:17 PM.
On July 7, Lynnea tried watching the Church at 939 Main St in Winnipeg. No Swifts were entering or exiting the chimney that evening, but there were a few fly overs!
In Winnipeg, on July 6, we got a general sighting of two Swifts flying overhead by a private residence on Ruttan Bay in the Fort Garry neighbourhood. We have “bwmoons” (taken from email) to thank for the info. This is nearby to several known Chimney Swift Chimneys on Pembina Highway, but it is also near residential chimneys that swifts could be using. If you are ever in the neighbourhood, keep an eye out!
Frank and Jacquie watched the Springs Christian Academy at 261 Youville St in Winnipeg on July 7 for the evening. There were no sightings of Swifts. However, Blair decided to check out the site a 261 Youville on the 9th in the daytime. There were, for sure, exchanges going on according to the data. Evidence that this chimney is likely a nesting chimney. Not sure where the swifts went when Frank and Jacquie were monitoring… perhaps the swifts prefer Starbucks over Timmies and so took off!
Over in Dauphin, we hear from Ken. The following observations were all made on July 7. Over at Scott’s Hardware, there was a pair cycling in and out, likely nesting! The Watson’s Art Centre did not have any Swifts, it seems. The roosting chimney was busy, as pairs went down to roost for the night. There may have been 10 in total in the roosting chimney. In conclusion, one nesting chimney over in Dauphin.
Garry watched the Pro-Tac Roofing building chimney in Winnipeg on July 9 for the morning. There was a total of two entries and a display of nesting behaviour. That is another likely nest in the bag!
The 424 River Ave roost site in Winnipeg is still going strong! This week, the visible chimney was watched by Ryon and Hazel on July 9 in the evening. The first entry was at 9:44 PM, but by around 10 PM 111 Swifts were counted still using the roost.
Amanda had told me that she saw Swifts by St Andrews River Heights Church in Winnipeg earlier in the spring while getting her car repaired, so I decided to check it out on the 12th. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing in sight or anything to hear. The church’s chimney also looked capped up close. It started to rain halfway through the hour, so I decided to call it quits, and walk back home. That is when I saw six Swifts flying above me, about 8 blocks east of the Church. I tried to follow them, thinking they would return to their chimneys, but it seems like the rain did not bother them, as they continued to fly in circles. I returned the next day and could not find them anymore.
That is all for this week’s blog. I am excited to discover more nesting sites next week! Keep them coming everyone! Until then, have a good week!
- Vicky
- (updated July 21)
P.S. There’s an updated dashboard placard to identify you as a dedicated swift-watching volunteer on our website. Find it here if you’re so inclined.
