Author: mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

Chimney Swifts have touched down in Canada!

Some exciting news to report as we all eagerly await the arrival of Chimney Swifts in Manitoba. Winnie Wake and friends at London’s Chimney Swift Program in southern Ontario received the first detailed sighting of a Chimney Swift in Canada on April 29^th. As Barb mentioned in the last blog post Winnie had previously said “Most years, swifts show up here in the last few days or week of April” and she had the timing down pat! Indeed a glance at eBird.org (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) shows multiple Chimney Swift sightings in southern Ontario. Closer to Manitoba, sightings have taken place in South Dakota and Minnesota.

We also have Winnie’s words of wisdom in where Chimney Swift watchers in Winnipeg, and around Manitoba might spot their first Swift of the season “Quite often, London’s early swifts are seen near the river corridor. They seem to know that aquatic insects tend to emerge a little earlier than land-based ones. That means the general area of the river likely offers better foraging prospects at a time of year when numbers of insects in the air are still relatively low.” With many Manitoba communities that host Chimney Swifts located around waterways, it can be a good place to keep watch for the early birds.

As the Chimney Swift come every closer to Manitoba – what can we do to help? If you have a fireplace, please remember to close the damper. The damper is the metal door that closes access from the hearth into the chimney flue. Closing the damper means that if you host Chimney Swifts this season, they will stay in the chimney where they belong, and you will avoid any accidental mishaps of Swifts ending up in your house! As well, stay tuned to the MCSI blog as we will have an update on MCSI monitoring coming soon.

–Amanda

Who could possibly have written a script for Earth Day 2020 that included living with a pandemic? Author Margaret Atwood might have. But she didn’t. However, as a master of dystopian literature, and student of history, she has offered an important perspective on our current reality.

Margaret Atwood reflected that “this is by no means the worst such episode that the world has ever seen”. Importantly, she offered that moments like these offer a “reset button opportunity” and that “Maybe we should look at the way we’ve been doing things and think of ways of doing them differently.”

( https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-thursday-edition-1.5502954/margaret-atwood-waubgeshig-rice-and-daniel-kalla-share-their-pandemic-reading-lists-1.5502962 )

Yes, these are challenging times. Yes, there is great hope that life will improve. But there is no crystal ball to predict the “when” and “how it will happen”. For now, we live with a stark reminder of how inhabitants of Mother Earth are connected so intimately. We are all tasked with the responsibility of staying healthy – as individuals, community members, and global citizens. Let’s remember to extend our actions as people who need to be good stewards of the earth’s resources.

In Manitoba, there is much to appreciate in our natural world. That includes our birds. Chimney Swifts continue their northern migration, having now reached Minneapolis, MN. (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)

As we all look forward to our swift’s arrival in the next few weeks, the MCSI Steering Committee continues to discuss the upcoming monitoring season and rethink ways of safely engaging with the birds this year. In early May, we will talk about the 2020 Chimney Swift monitoring season as it is impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. We will factor in the current public health advisories and offer up some options having hit the “reset button”. Stay tuned for news flashes about MCSI monitoring, stewardship, outreach, and science activities planned for this year!

As for my Earth Day, it is time to splash through the floodwaters of the Red River which are marinating our acreage south of Winnipeg. The water levels are nothing dire this year thankfully, just another reminder that Mother Nature should not be taken for granted. Now it’s off to hear the high-flying cranes and dodge the low flying cormorants…hoping that it will be Chimney Swift sightings that fill the sky sooner than later!

— Barb Stewart

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.

While the current situation of the COVID-19 outbreak is uncharted for us here at the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative, we wanted to let you know that we are still planning for an active season of Chimney Swift monitoring.

Under current government advice we do not foresee an issue with watching chimneys, as long as people keep a respectful distance from each other and practice preventative measures. If advice from the government changes, our program will adapt as necessary. For now, consider Chimney Swift watching a great reason to get out of the house and into the fresh air.

–  Amanda Shave

A new article by MCSI’s former Coordinator, Tim Poole, and Portage la Prairie swift volunteer extraordinaire, Gordon Ogilvie is in the Spring edition of the Blue Jay .

The article titled “Occupancy of Unconventional Nest and Roost Habitats by the Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) in Manitoba” describes some of the different types of habitats found by MCSI volunteers in the past few years. Among the habitat structures discussed includes access chimneys through broken pest exclusion cages, using chimneys with a full clay-liner and use of smaller chimneys.

 Ahead of the upcoming spring migration, this is a wonderful opportunity to highlight the exceptional efforts of MCSI’s volunteers, many of whose efforts directly contributed to this piece. Thank you to everyone who continues to grow this program. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please email our new MCSI Coordinator, Amanda Shave, at mbchimney@gmail.com.

If you would like to read the new article, Blue Jay have kindly given us permission to post it on our website. You can find it here

— FJM

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CHIMNEY SWIFTS – ALWAYS A SWEET BIRD OF INTEREST

Valentine’s Day is an inflection point. We are moving along in the New Year, coming out of the dead of winter. Signs of spring are appearing despite the intense cold mid-February can bring. On sunny, calm days the rat-a-tat-tat drumming of woodpeckers is audible and on still nights, the hooting of Great Horned Owls is a welcome sound. Some swelling of buds in poplar trees is noticeable. Best of all, we all are enjoying more daylight each day. It’s time to count the days until reports of spring migrants start coming in…our swifts will be on the move in a couple of weeks and their arrival in North America will be noted on eBird.

Before we move ahead to the new 2020 swift season in Manitoba, there is some looking back to do. The St Adolphe nest site activity summary for 2019 is now posted. It was another challenging year for breeding swifts with forest fire smoke, high heat and humidity, plus intense rain events. Six nest sites were occupied by a breeding pair of swifts; three pairs successfully fledged young. As was the case in recent years, the swifts departed St Adolphe by mid-August without forming any noticeable pre-migratory groups.

Bridging the 2019 and 2020 seasons, we had some local redistributions and migrations of our Steering Committee. We have also welcomed new members to the MCSI flock. In August, Christian Artuso moved to Ottawa to join Environment and Climate Change Canada but remains on the Steering Committee as chair for the time being. Ken De Smet retired from Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development and Tim Poole left the MCSI Coordinator job to fill that provincial Species At Risk Biologist position. We welcomed new coordinator, Amanda Shave, and Jack Dubois from Nature Manitoba to our committee. Continuing on are Frank Machovec (our all-important webmaster), Nicole Firlotte (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development), Lewis Cocks and Neil Butchard (master birders both), Ron Bazin (Canadian Wildlife Service) plus Rob and Barb Stewart (Sila Consultants). Fortunately, everyone involved in the shifts ‘n’ shuffles remain committed to MCSI, so our work will continue with a full roster of active people.

A lot of behind the scenes planning has taken place by the Steering Committee. The monitoring program has been developed and work on various stewardship, conservation, and research projects is moving forward. A Blue Jay article on atypical nest site structures (got to love the free-thinking birds that they are) is in press and another article about Manitoba’s first successful mitigation project (Old Grace Hospital/Assiniboine Zoo tower) is about to be submitted for review.

So, watch for news flashes. The monitoring program rollout will begin soon with a “save the dates” request. We look forward to an active 2020 season – our 14^th year of monitoring Chimney Swifts in Manitoba – and the continued connection with our dedicated monitors!

–Barb Stewart

Hello everyone, my name is Amanda Shave and I am just starting work as the new Habitat Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator for MCSI.

Prior to this position I was working as an environmental policy analyst in Manitoba. I completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Manitoba with work terms at Agriculture and Agri-Foods Canada as a riparian health technician and at Ducks Unlimited Canada working on their Carp Exclusion Project at Delta Marsh, Manitoba. It was working and living in the middle of Delta Marsh during two springs and summers that my interest in birds started.

From 2015-2017 I completed my M.Sc. degree in the Avian Behavior and Conservation (ABC) lab at the University of Manitoba. I used light level-tracking devices and North American long-term breeding dataset to explore the impact of climate change on the migration and breeding timing of a long-distance migratory songbird, the purple martin.

My M.Sc. research and my future work at the MSCI have some interesting parallels. Both my research locally in Manitoba, and the long-term dataset would not have been possible without the help of citizen scientists involved in Manitoba and across North America. In Manitoba we were just getting a network of citizen scientists off the ground for the program starting in 2015, while across North America citizen scientist have been reporting breeding data for martins for over 20 years!  The roles of citizen scientists in research is so important in growing the reach of data collection, knowledge and enthusiasm for nature and I look forward to working with all of you. If you are interested in volunteering for this program, or learning more about chimney swifts please contact me at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com or call 204-943-9029.

–Amanda Shave

I’ve just posted an updated list of location codes for identifying our nesting and roost sites. The list may be found at https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/2019_MCSIcodes.pdf There’s a link to this list on the Resources and Links page of the website, too.

There’s an interesting job opportunity available that involves the Chimney Swift and Important Bird Areas projects. Details about the job may be found at https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/?p=2145 The deadline for applications is September 13.

We just discovered a short, but interesting article about swifts (their behaviour and plight) from, of all places, the August 15 edition of the London Review of Books. “Consider the Swift” is at https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/londonreviewofbooks2019.pdf (Our thanks to Gene Walz for discovering this gem. )

On behalf of the Steering Committee, thanks again to all of our dedicated volunteers !

— Frank Machovec for the MCSI

This is probably the final, FINAL, swift monitoring report of 2019, and oh what a year it has been! Unofficially, you, our volunteers, have watched more chimneys and identified more active sites than any previous year. Below we present a summary of the latest reports received since our last blogpost on August 21^st.

First to Dominion City and a report sent from Dave, a local homeowner and an email dated August 20th:

‘Just wanted to report another successful nesting season in my chimney. At least 12 years and running my swift family has been here and have raised yet another brood. Now the chimney has now gone quiet as they have now left for another year.’

Having been fortunate to look in the bottom of this chimney, I can tell you that it is absolutely packed full of swift nesting material.

Margaret and Millie sent a report from Brandon on the same day with an entry/exit cycle followed by two entries.

In Selkirk, Linda and Nia did not see any swifts at the Mental Health Centre, also on the 21st.

Blair sent his weekly summary of reports on the 21^st:

‘This week I saw one Chimney swift entering the chimney at 188 St. Mary’s on August 19th.  

For 261 Youville Street, I was watching two swifts over the season but on August 20, they were not seen, therefore no evidence of a successful breeding.

690 St. Joseph, was watch on August 21, and no swifts were seen this night.  Since there were 8 entering the chimney at last viewing the chimney swifts must have started their migration.’

It is sometimes very hard to decipher what has happened with such an elusive species, but Blair has been brilliant for MCSI in 2019. Thank you!

Also on the 21^st Rudolf sent his report from a waning East Kildonan:

‘I had not seen any swifts in my neighbourhood for about a week, but today two were near my home.’

Frank and Jacquie sent a report in from Waterfront:

Jacquie and I parked near MacDonald and Gomez to observe the waterfront chimneys. It’s hard to find line of sight to both chimneys…

Only one CHSW was seen during the roost hour, and there was one entry to the 527 Waterfront chimney. That’s it, that’s all.

I really thought we were going to see more activity tonight.’

On the 22^nd, Ken and Jan sent an update from Dauphin:

‘Well we missed last night’s count as we were helping set up our church for it’s 65^th Anniversary till dark so tonight was the night to check. As I sat watching an empty sky I thought well this is it for the season but, yes but, after 11 minutes one swift came in and down the chimney and within 2 minutes it was out and foraging again. It seems the young still have not fledged from this nest. Every 10 minutes or so there was an entry/exit cycle but, oh not another but, there was an exit when there was not supposed to be any birds in the chimney. Just before the end of my observation period, 3 single birds entered the chimney about 3 minutes apart. It looks like this pair has recruited a helper for this late in the season. These were the only swifts seen so everyone else must be heading to a warmer south destination.’

Barb was on hand to give some thoughts as to the activity in the chimney though:

‘Thanks so much for sending the summary along Ken…I think you’re likely in the post-fledging phase with flight training. The Aug. 14th activity looks suspiciously like touch ‘n’ go fledgling activity; it was triple the activity rate seen the previous week. 

Just for comparison, the ST A fledglings seem to anchor departure for 7-10 days minimum, so Aug. 22 in your chimney is nominally 1 week post-fledging. I think they could be gone – successfully, with juveniles in tow – anytime now and just start the southern trip slowly.’

Barb is such an asset to MCSI!

Earlier on the same day, Katrina had seen zero activity at the zoo tower over an hour monitoring session. It seems these birds may already have migrated.

The most excitement came from Brandon. Margaret and Millie had 5 swifts in the chimney, including some iffy entries. Yes, this chimney did it again and fledged a family of up to 3 young.

Robert and Donna counted 4 swifts using the large stack at the Mental Health Centre in Selkirk on the 22^nd. Gerald also had 2 swifts use the southwest chimney at Lower Fort Garry.

On the 23^rd, Gerald counted 3 entries and an exit at the St Andrews Maintenance Compound in Lockport, another successful year at this site by the looks of things.

Margaret and Millie only had 3 swifts in the chimney in Brandon on that evening, but then on the 24^th the full family of 5 showed up!

Bob and Valerie were at New Silver Heights in St James:

‘We observed the chimney at the Silver Heights apartments a couple of times recently (reports attached).  On 23 Aug 2019, it seemed that young had fledged, but it was very windy and as the birds seemed to be having difficulties with their entries into the chimney, our counts may not have been too accurate.  We looked again on 30 August 2019 for a while, but only saw one entry; we hope the other birds have survived.’

One week is ample time for these birds to spread their wings and seek some better feeding!

On the 25^th, Ken sent a lonely report from Dauphin:

‘Yes, I was out this evening to see how the swifts were fairing here in Dauphin after about a 2 inch rainfall and it appears that the swifts have missed it and headed south for the winter.’

Another report from Margaret and Millie came in:

‘Two swifts only, entered on Aug 26 – we wondered if they had been left behind; or, had they been the only two outside the chimney?

Poor weather kept us from monitoring Aug.27 & Aug 28.

Last evening, Aug. 29 no swifts were seen.’

Gerald also sent another report on the 28^th:

‘There are still 2 active chimneys here. Today, Robert Hempler noted Swifts entering and exiting the Infirmary chimney. This evening between 8:00 and 8:20 PM I noted 3 Swifts entering the north chimney at Lockport Bridge.’

Surely not still breeding in the infirmary?

Finally, Barb sent us her final St Adolphe update last week, documenting the final flaps of swifts as they exit town for another year:

‘Last week, on Tues. Aug. 20th, I did an hour long multi-site recce in town. Starting at 6:20 PM along the east dyke near the Curling Club, no Purple Martins, Barn Swallows, Tree Swallows, or Chimney Swifts were seen or heard. Moving over to the cemetery, a half hour later, yielded the last sighting of the season. A single swift flew low to the west of the Church ~7 PM. It may have been in the company of a second swift, but the fleeting glimpse made the bird hard to i.d. with certainty. That was it for over an hour of monitoring. Things were really winding down.

On Wed. Aug. 21st, I was really wound up. During a 90 minute roosting hour watch at Club Amical, there wasn’t a swift to be seen or heard. The absence of swifts made sense and you can’t really want them to linger. The food supply is running out. 

Tues. Aug. 27th and another week has slipped by. Swift watching may be futile. At 10 AM, it’s 100% overcast, 13 C, winds are gusting to 42 kph, and more rain is on its way. Another cold, wet, windy morning to challenge aerial insectivores. Two hummingbirds are sitting and sucking nectar at their feeder like it’s one big Slurpee dispenser. An adult Barn Swallow is taking refuge on the plant hanger under the deck roof. No other birds seem to be active in the area. The Chimney Swift breeding season in St Adolphe is over. 

Now it’s time to send a big shout out of thanks to many, many people for their contributions to MCSI ’19 – our 13th year of swift-seeking in Manitoba. My St Adolphe supporters, with their considerable patience and tolerance, make chimney vigils possible. Other monitors, who contribute to the big provincial picture by watching, waiting, and counting swift entries and exits, are sent a huge bouquet of appreciation. It is not a glamorous job, but it is an essential job, to generate those precious data points. Tim, as fearless leader, has done a remarkable job of coordinating all the elements of our program ~ monitoring, stewardship, & outreach ~ that make MCSI such a success. Frank, our amazing webmaster, is instrumental in linking all of our activities to the ether zone where we share information and knowledge. 

So, keep Chimney Swift issues in mind as the “off season” descends. We’ll look forward to swift-filled skies (and chimneys) next spring!’

And with that, the end of this (probably) final monitoring report of 2019. THANK YOU EVERYONE who has contributed to making 2019 a successful year.

Please, please, please send any outstanding reports back to us. We welcome them even if they are spring straddlers from May!

If you fancy compiling these reports in future, there is an excellent opportunity to do just that – https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/?p=2145.

-Tim Poole

Our project coordinator, Tim Poole, will soon be leaving us for greener pastures.

This means that we will be looking for a new person to look after Chimney Swift and IBA duties.

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The Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Caretaker Program and Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI) are seeking a full-time coordinator to run these programs in Manitoba, with the assistance of two volunteer steering committees. We envisage the successful candidate will work 3 days/week on the IBA Program and 2 days/week on the MCSI.  The successful candidate will be responsible for delivering multiple grant programs, including the Bird Studies Canada “Enhancing Avian Species At Risk Applicability in Conservation Delivery” in southwestern Manitoba and the Habitat Stewardship Program grant “Working with the Urban Development Sector in Manitoba to Provide Stewardship for the Chimney Swift”.

Job Description

The position is currently funded fully up to March 31^st 2020, and part-time from April 1^st 2020, with actual days worked being flexible depending on the candidate’s availability and work requirements. The exact start date is negotiable, preferably by October 2019. It is envisioned that the successful candidate will work from Nature Manitoba’s Winnipeg office; however, other locations may be acceptable to suit the successful candidate’s preference. Travel to various Manitoba locations, especially southwestern Manitoba, will be involved. The position will require field work and the successful candidate may need to stay overnight in rural Manitoba.

We seek a dynamic individual who can engage a variety of audiences and rally support for the projects from different sectors. The successful candidate will:

• work independently, but with input from both committees, to continue the development and promotion of province-wide programs,
• write funding proposals and to seek opportunities to expand the programs
• be skilled at giving presentations, recruiting volunteers, and organizing events
• organize volunteer events, including habitat stewardship work parties and volunteer monitoring blitzes
• engage with diverse community groups to deliver stewardship and monitoring, including beef producers, landowners, First Nations, birders and building owners
• deliver monitoring for various groups of birds including shorebirds, grassland birds and aerial insectivores
• train and coordinate volunteers in avian monitoring techniques
• be able to use the IBA monitoring protocol (eBird) and technical tools and to explain their usage to volunteers
• be able to manage a database of Chimney Swift records and coordinate contributions to national monitoring programs
• create and manage partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organisations
• maintain the website http://importantbirdareasmb.ca, social media accounts and provide content to the volunteer webmaster for the MCSI website
• manage two separate budgets, subcontracts and summer staff
• represent the programs at meetings or conferences as required
• coordinate the two programs and be accountable to two Steering Committees as required

Compensation: $22.50/hr starting salary with the possibility of increased hours and pay dependent on performance review.

Qualifications:

• Demonstrated oral and written communications skills,
• Demonstrated knowledge of natural history and conservation (although a degree in biological or ecological sciences is not required, this program will benefit from someone who can speak with confidence and authority on the conservation issues pertinent to IBAs and Chimney Swifts).
• Familiarity with Manitoba’s avifauna, experience in conservation programming, experience in working with community organizations and/or NGOs, fundraising experience, and bilingualism, are strong assets.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and negotiate with different groups of people to deliver and negotiate stewardship for Species at Risk
• Demonstrated avian monitoring skills
• Basic computer familiarity, especially with Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Familiarity with Adobe or other photo-editing software an asset.
• Valid driver’s license (own vehicle or ability to rent a vehicle preferred)

Apply To:

Please send (electronically in .doc, .rtf, or .pdf format) a résumé and cover letter with the names of three referees to Paula Grieef at  p_grieef@ducks.ca.

Deadline: Sept 13, 2019, 5 pm Central time.