An Update on the Chimney Swifts and 2021 Monitoring
Spring is slowly but surely making its way into Manitoba, and the Chimney Swifts are also on their way. We are on the lookout for our first swift sightings in Manitoba, so when you see your first, please let us know! As the swifts are starting to show up in North Dakota and Minnesota, we have finalized our plans for Chimney Swift Monitoring in 2021.
Chimney Swift sightings in April and May 2021 from eBird.org. Each purple rectangle is at least one Chimney Swift.
For most sites, Chimney Swift monitoring will continue to follow the MCSI night protocol with the same format as last year. Monitoring will start on Wednesday, May 26th and continue each Wednesday until June 23rd (rain dates are Thursday each week). By the end of June, we should be able to determine if the Swifts have decided to make a nesting attempt in each monitored chimney.
For several of the larger roost chimneys, we will also be conducting the National Roost Monitoring Protocol (NRMP). This protocol is followed throughout Canada, where the Canadian Wildlife Service collects data on roosting chimneys that host four or more Chimney Swifts. This monitoring happens every four days for a two-week period (rather than once a week).
Both the MCSI Nights and the NRMP start on Wednesday, May 26th this year. If you would like a MCSI volunteer lanyard to wear while monitoring, please contact me (email below) and I can send one out to you.
NRMP nights and the MCSI nights follow the same monitoring protocol (other than the dates the monitoring takes place) as well as the same data sheet. You can find our 2021 protocol and data sheet at the following links:
2021 Monitoring Protocol (pdf)
2021 Data Sheet (pdf)
2021 Data Sheet (Word)
If you are looking for a chimney to watch in your neighbourhood, send an email to myself (Amanda) at manitobachimneyswift@gmail.com and I would be happy to find one for you! We always have more chimneys than monitors each year.
For the NRMP nights the following chimneys still need volunteers to monitor:
- Carmen Memorial Hall, Carmen
- St Paul’s United Church, Souris
- 5000 Crescent Road West (Rufus Prince Building), Portage la Prairie
- Ecole Assiniboine School, Winnipeg
- 2187 Portage Ave (Moorgate Apartments), Winnipeg
In other swift news – you may have heard, seen or read about the 800-1000 Swifts seen using chimneys at two homes in California (link to the story: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/we-lost-count-after-800-torrance-home-overrun-by-migrating-birds/). These are likely Vaux’s Swifts, as the breeding range for our local Chimney Swifts only is as far west as Saskatchewan.
One of the houses in California with Vaux’s Swifts.
While this is certainly an eye-catching phenomenon and something you would likely never forget – it is unfortunate that the story has largely been circulating with negative connotations towards Swifts in general. Both the Vaux’s and Chimney Swifts are aerial insectivores, a group of birds whose populations are undergoing steep declines, and both are protected in Canada by federal and provincial legislation. In addition to their innate value as part of our world’s biodiversity, they also provide tangible benefits to people by eating a huge number of insects we often think of as pests.
If you are worried about birds, such as swifts, entering your house, it is as easy as closing your fireplace damper. This leaves the chimney open for swifts to use as roosting and nesting habitat, while keeping the inside of your house bird free. In fact, we strongly encourage closing your dampers, as Swifts can get confused by the extra light source (associating light with the chimney exit).
To learn more about Chimney Swifts and separate fact from fiction, check out our factsheets about hosting Swifts and how you can be a Chimney Swift champion!
Chimney Swift: Manitoba’s Flying Cigar – https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/factsheet1.pdf
Are Chimney Swifts Using My Chimney – https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/factsheet2.pdf
Become a Chimney Swift Champion – https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/factsheet3.pdf
— Amanda Shave
