A look at the monitoring data…

Most breeding Chimney Swifts are likely to be at the stage where they are feeding non-brooded young – chicks which no longer require an adults warmth to survive inside the chimney. In the last week of July and early August, we will start to see young birds leave the chimney, and these birds will start to migrate in mid-August. For a full summary of swift dates in Manitoba, you can read an excellent summary from Barb and Rob Stewart on our website at https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/monitoring_guide2011.pdf. With this in mind, sit back with a cup of coffee, a glass of water, or something stronger, and read the latest interesting swift news from Barb Stewart in St Adolphe.

— Tim Poole


The following comes to us from Barb Stewart based on recent observations from  the Chimney Swift capital of Manitoba, Saint Adolphe.

All monitoring data collected are useful but some sessions are just more fun than others. Tim sent news of Margaret and Millie’s fabulous pair in Brandon who had 13 entries and 11 exits in the roosting hour on July 15. There was a report from a Winnipeg site, on July 17, documenting 7 entry/exit events in 40 minutes prior to roosting. That is excellent activity at both nest sites – reflecting big patches of local insects? – and very enjoyable swift watching experiences.

Sadly, there is another end of the spectrum. Zero, zip, nil, nada. And that is what happened (or didn’t) during a 120 minute monitoring session Wed. morning, July 18, at the St Adolphe Church. I saw a group of 5 swifts feeding in the cemetery, so there were adult survivors of the recent heat wave. That may not be the case for all nestlings. Even with the recent trend of low feeding rates, adult no-shows for over 2 hours is too long to keep juveniles alive. This site will be followed closely over the next few days for ongoing signs of a nest failure.

Checking in on other sites on Tues., July 17, a single swift flew really low over the Main St chimney 50 minutes into the mid-morning monitoring period. An audible chitter came from the passing bird. Then, a swift flew quickly out of the chimney – it had been inside for a very long time. It is remarkable how these breeding pairs communicate and keep connected.

    Club Amical chimneys

After Tuesday’s Main St session I moved over to the Club Amical. The feeding activity in the SE chimney continued nicely. On Sunday the pair was also active and “veer and peer” behaviour was evident. So, the young are non-brooded now.

At the NE chimney on Sunday, an adult left the chimney 50 minutes into the session. Then on Tuesday, an adult entered the chimney while a second swift flying with it flew off. Incubation is not indicated so this pair will not have a successful secondary nesting attempt. Time has run out for this season.

Still no sign of flyby’s or activity at the Brodeur Bros site.

Moving along to Thurs. July 19, the morning monitoring started at Club Amical. And what a session it was. All was revealed. Five swifts were flying low to the roof and around the general area making all sorts of sounds when I arrived. Within minutes, an entry was made into the SE site as 7 swifts were flying about. Then 8 noisy swifts flew by, then 9 were counted. Two swifts approached the SE site and 1 dropped in; minutes later another entry was made. Brilliant! With 3 swifts inside the SE chimney a helper was confirmed. Within a minute, a swift left the SE chimney so that left 2 inside.  Then a whole lot of noise broke out – swifts and martins were mobbing a hawk (Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s). As the birds clumped together to drive off their foe, it seemed that 9-10 swifts were in the group. Then a swift popped up from the NE chimney. Ok – that made for 1 in the SE and 1 in the NE when 9 swifts were spotted; and there were 2 in the SE and 1 in the NE chimney when the mob scene took place. So this morning, 11 swifts for sure and possibly 12-13 swifts were in town. For over an hour, low feeding flights with stall ‘n’ nabs were seen along with group flying, peer ‘n’ veers at the SE rim, racing with body bumping, “V” displays between close flying pairs ~ all with a wide range of conversations that only the swifts could understand!

Swifts are highly social birds and the St Adolphe flock was certainly engaged this morning. Unfortunately, there was no activity again at the Church chimney for over an hour. Perhaps the nest failure which seemed apparent on Wed. resulted in a renewed social connections on Thurs.

At the time of writing Thurs. night, the rain was pouring in torrents and an electrical storm danced about the sky. Sheet wash on the inside surface of chimneys is a risk to nests. So the vigil will continue at the chimney-sides Friday to check on nesting progress…

To wrap things up, here’s a point to ponder ~ the Kyle’s who wrote the bible “Chimney Swifts, America’s Mysterious Birds Above the Fireplace” say that young in Texas get fed on average every 30 minutes for 7 days; then they are fed on average once an hour. Based on 11 years of observations in St Adolphe, non-brooded young usually are fed 3-4 times an hour. So why are the St Adolphe swifts behaving more like Texas birds this year with 1 X hour feeding rates? Whatever is driving the seemingly low Manitoba feeding rates may be contributing to unsuccessful nesting outcomes. Something to think about as you stare at a chimney rim waiting for action…

— Barb Stewart

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mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI) aims to understand the causes behind the decline in Chimney Swift populations and help reverse the trend.