Author: mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

Swift Bulletin: Cuddle Puddles and Conservation-Minded Construction

Are you looking for some reading material to keep you entertained this week? We’ve got you covered!

Let’s start over on the East Coast: ‘You’ve heard of chimney swifts, but what about “barn” swifts?’ Written by Rielle Hoeg (Aerial Insectivore Outreach and Data Specialist at Birds Canada), this article published on June 16^th details an interesting discovery made last summer in a barn in Nova Scotia. Last summer, some residents discovered swifts using their barn as a roost. They had previously seen swifts using their barn to nest, but never as a roost. In fact, this was the first record of swifts using a barn as a roost site. At one point, they counted a whopping 94 swifts nestled together in what is referred to as a ‘cuddle puddle’! Wait, it gets better… they even managed to take a great photo of said barn ‘cuddle puddle’. The photo can be found in the article. I highly recommend giving it a read! Nothing like some warm and cuddly swift news to start your July off right. Here’s the link to the article: https://www.birdscanada.org/youve-heard-of-chimney-swifts-but-what-about-barn-swifts?utm_content=2023+June+Enews

Now for some local Manitoba content, relevant to all locations where swifts are found. Tim Poole, Barb Stewart and Rob Stewart have co-written an article on the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on Chimney Swifts. Their work, which assesses these impacts through the review of five case studies in St. Adolphe, has been published in the latest version of the Canadian Field-Naturalist (136(4): 364-373). Overall, they found that demolition and construction activities did not appear to alter the behaviour of nesting Chimney Swifts when this work was being conducted on adjacent or nearby buildings/lots. However, Chimney Swift behaviour and nesting success was negatively affected by loud interior noises due to renovations and rooftop activities on buildings containing nest sites. If you would like to read their article, including what they recommend as best conservation practices for construction and maintenance projects that occur near Chimney Swifts, you can find it at bit.ly/43bGnZA

The ‘barn swifts’ article, as well as a wealth of other interesting swift content, can be found on the ‘Resources and Links’ page of our website.  

Stay tuned for a monitoring update in next week’s blog!

–Marissa

Start of Summer Monitoring Updates

Hi folks! Here’s a summary of what’s been going on in the Chimney Swift world the past few weeks, including an update on our priority sites. At the end of this blog, you will find an updated list of which priority sites still need to be monitored.

Let’s start with Winnipeg. Aynsley, our program assistant, has spent time this past week checking out different priority sites around Winnipeg to check for any use by Swifts. On June 21, she visited Valhalla Gardens in North Kildonan and while she saw 2 Swifts hanging around, she did not observe any entries or exits. On June 22, she visited 3 sites on River Ave in Osborne. While she did not observe any entries or exits at 444 River Ave and 280 River Ave, she did observe 1 entry and 1 exit at 277 River Ave which means that site is now confirmed to be used by Swifts and is crossed off our priority list to monitor.

On June 13, Gwen, Pam and Marilyn checked out the chimney at 139 Market Ave. They observed a group of up to 6 swifts flying around before sunset. At 9:06pm, 2 Swifts flew into the chimney. On June 16, Doug and Francene monitored at the Old Grace Housing Co-op but did not see any Swifts. Jon has been monitoring the chimney at 634 Broadway, and has observed a pair of Chimney Swifts regularly using this chimney. Garry has been watching the chimney at 722 Watt Street. On June 18, he observed 1 entry 54 minutes into his monitoring session. The Swift still had not exited by the time he wrapped up his monitoring session 15 minutes later. Over at the Assiniboine Park Zoo, there is a pair nesting in the artificial tower.  

We’ve had a few pairs of eyes in the sky in the St Boniface area. Blair has visited several priority sites, and while he did not see any activity at 865 Tache Ave on June 21, 531 St Mary’s Rd on June 20, and 864 Marion St on June 16, he did observe a pair using the chimney at 847 Marion on June 20! That means another priority site is crossed off our list.

Blair has also been monitoring his ‘usual’ sites in St Boniface. Between June 11-14^th, he observed a pair of Swifts using the chimney at all 3 of the following sites: Kaljieb Electrics (690 St Joseph St), Springs Christian Academy (261 Youville St), and Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (188 St Mary’s Rd).

 Also in St Boniface, Alyssa noticed 5 Swifts overhead on June 8 while walking on Provencher Blvd so decided to investigate and watch the chimney at 690 St Joseph St. On June 9, she observed 2 Swifts entering this chimney and even caught a video of the entrance, supporting Blair’s observations at this site.

On June 19, Frank also checked out 531 St Mary’s Rd (Riverside Billiards), and like Blair, did not observe any Swift activity. He did however note that the chimney at this location is a nice brick one and is located across from the Red River, seemingly a lovely place to reside! Where are ya, Swifts?! Maybe the rent is too high… Those waterfront views aren’t cheap, even in the bird world it seems!

Frank also monitored Paramedic Fire Station No. 9, another St Boniface priority site, on June 22. He observed 2 Swifts entering the chimney, thus crossing another site off our list! Thanks, Frank. 

On June 17, Tim had a day full of various Swift encounters. He observed an exit at the chimney at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (where Blair has also observed activity), as well as an exit at the Good News Fellowship. Next was a stop at 424 River Ave – Interestingly, he observed 41 exits between 10:57 and 11:00 am. Not too far from there at the Donald and River Ave intersection, he observed a Swift making several attempts to grab twigs off a tree. The next day on June 18, he observed an exit from the old Rexall Pharmacy on Pembina.

Down in St. Adolphe, Barb and Rob report that all 5 nest sites were still active as of June 20^th. Here’s an update from Barb with the specific of what she’s been seeing, to give you an idea of what kind of information she takes note of to determine what stage of nesting the Swifts are at: ‘The Church and Main St pairs have had classic incubation exchanges = the best indication of incubation; the NE club pair generally have >50% attendance & I’ve seen one partner exchange <10 min between an in/out, so they are moving along the continuum; the SE club and Brodeur pairs are still <50% attendance, so can’t call them incubating yet.’

Ron was able to spend some time monitoring in Melita on June 20. He noticed 6 Swifts in the air over the legion, and later did see 1 Swift enter the Legion Hall chimney as well as 1 Swift entering the chimney at 80 Ash Street (which is a new site). He also spent some time monitoring at the Antler River Historical Society Museum but did not observe any entries or exits.

In Brandon, the monitoring team of Louanne, Glennis, Sandy, and Gwynn and Gillian have been keeping an eye on the Orange Block building. On May 31, they observed 3 Swifts enter the North chimney. On June 7, there were no Swifts around, but this may be due to a thunderstorm earlier that evening. On both June 14 and June 21, 2 Swifts entered the North chimney. In addition to the monitoring at the Orange Block, we’ve received a few reports of Swifts observed in the airspace above Brandon. Kurt saw 1 Swift flying near 930 Victoria Ave East on May 30. Tim was in Brandon June 13-14, and noted at least 5 Swifts near the armoury in Brandon, as well as 4 Swifts around the new era school. These sightings by Tim suggest that the Orange Block is not the only site used by Swifts in Brandon. If you’re ever in Brandon, keep an eye out for Swifts and any possible Swift chimneys!

Moving northeast from Brandon, we’ve gotten exciting reports of Swift activity in Neepawa! On June 15^th, Tim observed 2 Swifts entering the chimney at the Neepawa hospital, which is the first confirmed use of a chimney in this community. Kurt also observed 3 Swifts in the air in Neepawa on June 7 – his observation was near the Legion.

Gerald has been keeping us up to date on the many happenings over at Lower Fort Garry, Lockport and Selkirk.

Gerald was at Lower Fort Garry on June 12, and in addition to counting the chimneys (a whopping 15 chimneys were visible from his standpoint), he also remembered to count the Swifts! He noted several entries and exits by a pair of Swifts. At the Men’s House, he noted one exit at 8:15 pm, followed by an entrance at 8:34pm. Gerald returned to Lower Fort Garry on June 21. At around 8:40 pm, he saw 2 Swifts circling around the Men’s House. Gerald saw 1 Swift enter, but lost sight of the other one because of three cyclists passing by. Fortunately, Gerald’s video camera was on and upon review of the footage, Gerald was able to determine that the second Swift entered the chimney as well. At the Fur Loft, Gerald observed two exits, and ten minutes later observed an entry followed by another entry.

A man of many talents, Gerald took the opportunity to do some Chimney Swift outreach while at Lower Fort Garry. He briefed several cyclists and pedestrians on the Swifts, and even handed out some pamphlets – Thanks Gerald! If anyone else would like some factsheets/brochures to have on hand to hand out during monitoring sessions, please let me know and I will gladly get you some outreach materials!

As for Lockport, on June 15^th, the monitoring crew composed of Fred and Nettie, and Tim noted 1 entry into the South chimney, and 3 entries into the North chimney. On June 19^th, Winona and Sandi observed no entries into the South chimney, and one entry into the North chimney.

In Selkirk on June 13^th, Gerald observed 2 entries into the apartment building at 361 Main St. A few days later on June 16^th, Gerald checked 2 other sites in Selkirk, including 241 Manitoba Ave and one of our priority sites, The Lord Selkirk Hotel (420 Main St). While there was no Swift activity at 241 Manitoba Ave, Gerald did observe 1 Swift enter the Lord Selkirk Hotel chimney, crossing this site off our priority list. Woohoo! Also in Selkirk, Winona observed 1 entry into the Merchant’s Hotel on June 17^th. 

The Selkirk Mental Health Centre has been busy, as usual. On June 13^th, Winona observed 2 entries into T01, Pattie and Dennis observed 3 entries into T02, Robert observed 1 entry into the infirmary chimney and 1 entry into T03, and Nia and Linda observed 2 entries into the yellow brick chimney and 1 entry into T04. On June 19^th, Gerald noted 2 entries into T01, Pattie and Dennis reported 1 exit followed by 3 entries into T02, Robert noted 2 entries, then 1 exit, then 2 more entries into the infirmary chimney and 2 entries into T03, and Nia and Linda saw 1 entry into T04 and 3 entries into the Yellow Brick chimney.

Over in the Portage La Prairie area, Gordon watched the Rufus Prince Building on June 8 and observed 11 entries and 1 exit. Not far from Portage near Southport, Carrie reported 2 Chimney Swifts in her yard on June 16^th which is her first sighting in this area in nearly 5 years! The nearest breeding chimney is in Southport, about 3 km away.

In Steinbach, Frank spent some time watching the hospital on June 13. Here’s what he saw, in Frank’s words: “The good news is that three CHSW were visually and vocally in the area, but I did not see any entries. On three occasions, I saw CHSW so close to the chimney that I initially thought they were rapid entries or exits. At 21:31 one CHSW veered away from the left chimney vent at the last possible instant (and apparently never returned).”

Up in The Pas, Joel has reported lots of activity. On June 2^nd, he saw 4 Swifts over Bignell Ave, with 2 Swifts gathering twigs before disappearing. On June 9^th, he saw 2 Swifts over Bignell. On June 16^th, he saw 1 Swift enter the Frontier Apartments building, at the corner of 3^rd and Ross Ave. Later that day, he saw 2 Swifts fly over the Wescana, not far from Via Rail.

Alright, to sum that up… With the help of you incredible volunteers, since our last update we’ve managed to confirm use by Chimney Swifts at an additional 4 priority sites, including 420 Main Street in Selkirk (Lord Selkirk Hotel), and 3 sites in Winnipeg: 277 River Ave (Royal Oak Court Apartments), 864 Marion St (Fire Paramedic Station No. 9), 847 Marion St (formerly EuroCraft Office Furnishings). That brings us to a total of 7 confirmed priority sites this year!

If you need a refresher on our priority site monitoring plan, check out last week’s blog post. Here’s an updated list of our priority sites to monitor for the summer, with these newly confirmed sites crossed off the list:

As always, please let me know if you’ve got any questions or feedback! You can reach me (Marissa) at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.

Stay cool out there, and happy swift-ing!

-Marissa

Priority Sites and Swift Parenting:

The monitoring plan for the remainder of the breeding season

While our official roost monitoring evenings are done, we do continue monitoring throughout the nesting season. You can keep monitoring your usual chimney or help us confirm use by swifts at our priority sites. Occasional observations as well as consistent monitoring are both valuable.

Barb elegantly puts in words the benefits of these different approaches in a past blog post: “Along the way your monitoring sessions will add puzzle pieces to the overall picture. Infrequent, short sessions gather puzzle pieces with snippets of information; these are very good for verification of site use. Frequent, lengthy sessions harvest more robust puzzle pieces that have more information in them; these are necessary for identifying stages of nesting.”. Basically, doing what you can, when and where you can, is all helpful and helps us bring together the countless pieces of the greater Chimney Swift puzzle.

Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of how to help us monitor priority sites, as well as how to monitor a nesting chimney during breeding season.

Priority sites

Below is a list of our priority sites to monitor in 2023. We want to know if Chimney Swifts are using these chimneys. Confirming use of these chimneys by swifts (an entry or exit) will confirm them as protected ‘residences’ under the Proposed Chimney Swift Recovery Strategy. Monitoring at these sites can be done at any time of day – the key is to see an entry or an exit by a swift.

Here’s how you can help: Take a look the list, pick a site or two that you would like to check out, go take a look to see if there any swifts using this chimney and let us know what you see! Once we get a report from someone saying they’ve observed an entry/exit at a site, we will cross that site off our list and let everyone else know that this site no longer needs to be monitored. We will be posting an updated list on the blog weekly, so that volunteers can see what sites still need to be monitored and which sites have been ‘checked off’. A collaborative scavenger hunt of sorts, with important implications for Chimney Swift conservation!

Three of these sites have already been crossed off our list, which is exciting! Amanda observed a swift entering the chimney at 2150 Portage Avenue on May 24^th, as well as three swifts entering the chimney at 155 Traill Avenue on June 3^rd. Blair observed two swifts entering the chimney at 340 Provencher Boulevard on June 7^th. These three sites have a line across them in the list below, to represent that they have been ‘crossed off’ our list.  

Nest site monitoring

Many of you have been regularly monitoring chimneys used by Swifts to nest. If you are interested, we encourage you to keep monitoring these chimneys at the frequencies and durations that work for you. Monitoring during the nesting season can be done during the daytime. Data such as the number of entries and exits per hour, as well as the amount of time spent inside the chimney between entries/exits are useful in determining which phase of nesting the Swifts are currently in.

We are now into the ‘nest building’ phase of the breeding season, during which a breeding pair of Chimney Swifts will build a small cup-shaped nest by bringing small diameter twigs into the chimney, using their sticky saliva to glue these twigs together to form a nest. The Swifts will continue to build the nest throughout the egg laying and incubation phases. There is a lot of variability in the activity across nest sites but in general, if there is nest building at a site, you will see daytime entries by a single Chimney Swift or a pair flying together at a frequency of around 1-2 entries and exits per hour. The duration-in/between-visit time intervals are variable.

Once the eggs are laid, incubation begins. Here is Barb’s great explanation from a past blog on what incubation can look like in terms of activity:

“Incubation is the toughest nesting stage to pin down with respect to the date of onset. Start dates are nearly impossible to establish unless you have a nest cam or viewing port inside a tower etc. But it is possible to identify if the Chimney Swifts are incubating by using monitoring data. In ascending order of good, better, and best, I use 3 criteria which usually indicate that Chimney Swifts are on eggs. For monitoring sessions of at least 60 minutes, signs of incubation are: 1. % attendance, or time spent in the chimney, is > 50%; 2. A duration-in interval <10 min. (for an entry where a partner is not obviously flying nearby and doesn’t enter); and/or 3. A classic incubation exchange i.e., an entry followed by an exit 30-120 sec. later. Classic incubation exchanges take place 1 X hour (give or take a few minutes) at a site with 2 breeding adults.”

Once the eggs hatch, the Swifts move from the incubation phase (general range of 18-21 days) to feeding their young before fledging (general range of 28-30 days).

It is important to keep in mind that many other factors can influence Swift behaviour. Bad weather or other disturbances may cause Swifts to enter a chimney during the daytime, even though they are not nesting. Also, there are always exceptions to the general ‘rules’ for timing and duration of the different nesting phases and their associated activities.

The same can be said for trying to interpret the movement and behaviour of Swifts during migration, as they arrive and disperse throughout the breeding grounds… As many of you who watched the same site across several different nights know, the number of Swifts entering a chimney during the roosting hour can be extremely variable from session to session. I will finish this week’s blog post by sharing some words from Winnie Wake (from London, ON) about interpreting the results of our swift counts during this period, with). Winnie shared these thoughts (along with the beginning caveats) with Barb and has given us permission to share them with you:

“I would caution that my proposed interpretations for our region might not necessarily be fully applicable to yours.  We also notice that numbers can vary at the small sites that we refer to as nest-only chimneys.  When half a dozen swifts show up at some of these, we do not know who the extras are – extra migrants or surplus of wanna-be helpers or some other category.  With swifts, I have learned there are always exceptions to defy any generalization I may try to invent to explain their behaviour.

During spring migration, the big unknown in interpreting swift counts at various chimneys is the turnover rate.  How many days do migrating swifts stay in London before resuming their journey north (or dispersing to local nest chimneys) and, while here, to what extent do they move around among London chimneys?  Personally, I do not think a significant number of migrating swifts move around to the extent that total numbers stay relatively the same for a number of days, though I think that some swifts likely do move around among chimneys. 

I think a lot of our swifts pass through in waves.  This could be waves of different sizes that arrive and move on after spending varying numbers of days in town.  The wave theory is also visible at a finer level.  During a roost watch, we often notice a group of swifts arrive, circle and enter.  Then the sky will be empty for a while until the next group arrives, often from a different direction. We will also sometimes notice swifts passing over a roost chimney in numbers that are larger than the number that finally enters.  Presumably these birds are checking out the possibilities before making a decision on where to spend the night. I have a hunch a number of our birds go directly to nest chimneys without first spending time in local roosts.  We also do not know how many other London chimneys that we are not regularly monitoring might be occupied by roosts in a particular season.  Most of the roost chimneys we monitor are within a km or so of other monitored chimneys.  Almost all of the 18 chimneys have hosted roosts at some season or time in the past (only 3 FSA chimneys have not), but, in a given spring, summer or fall season, it is unusual for there to be more than four to six active roosts.”

We’d love to keep receiving reports of what you’re seeing, or not seeing! Even if you are not following the official roost monitoring protocol, you can enter your reports on our datasheet (available here on our website). As always, send us an email at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com if you’ve got any questions. Stay tuned for next week’s blog for more monitoring updates!

-Marissa

June has arrived, and the swift reports keep coming in! Thank you to all of those that have been monitoring and submitting reports. While our four official MCSI/NRMP nights for the season are now done, we encourage you to keep conducting roost monitoring sessions whether at the same site you have been monitoring this year or in past years, or at sites that we have on our list as priority chimneys to monitor for use by swifts (to confirm ‘residence’ status). Click here to read our start of year blog which goes into more detail about what we mean when we refer to ‘residence’ status, and the different types of sites we want to monitor.

Here are some new updates since our last blog, starting with our Winnipeg sites:

On June 1st, Barbara Barnett observed 210 entries into the River Manor Apartments. A few days later on June 5^th, Barbara and Phil observed 175 swifts enter the chimney. At the Moorgate Apartments, Linda Curtis observed three entries and one exit on June 1^st, and two entries on June 5th. Jo Swartz and Richard Silverman watched the chimney in Assiniboine Park on May 25^th and saw seven swifts flying around, with five swifts entering the chimney for the night. On May 28^th, Jo watched the chimney again this time with Betsy Thorsteinson and saw four swifts enter the chimney. On June 5^th, Jo and Richard observed three entries into the chimney. Beth Hiltz and Wolfgang Jansen watched the Assiniboine School chimney on June 1^st and observed four swifts in the air and one entry into the chimney, while on June 5^th, Beth did not observe any swifts enter the chimney. Blaire Barta submitted more reports from the Behavioural Health Foundation in St. Norbert, noting two entries on both May 31^st and June 5^th. Amanda Shave was able to cross another priority site off our list of sites to confirm use by swifts – She observed three swifts entering the chimney at Hilton House Apartments, which means it now qualifies as a residence for Chimney Swifts. Woohoo!

Things remain very busy in Selkirk. Winona Hook has been watching the Merchant’s Hotel, reporting two entries on both June 3^rd and June 5^th. At the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC) on June 1^st, two entries were observed at T01 (tall tower), T02 (courtyard tower), T03 (infirmary-attached tower) and the infirmary chimney, while no entries were observed at the yellow brick chimney and T04 (powerhouse tower). On the morning of June 3^rd, Gerald and Carol looped through SMCH and saw two entries into the infirmary chimney, and one entry into T03. Tim Poole and his team of students watched the SMHC towers in the morning on June 5^th and reported seeing one entry into T01, no entries into T02, one entry into T03, one entry into T04, one entry into the infirmary chimney, and no entries in the yellow-brick chimney. Later on that day during the official roost monitoring session, volunteers observed two entries into each of T01, T02, T03, the yellow-brick chimney and the infirmary chimney, but no activity at T04. It seems that there is some nest building going on in some of these chimneys and towers, but we will need to keep monitoring to be sure of what is going on here!

As for Lower Fort Garry, Joanne Tuckwell monitored during the morning of June 5^th, and observed two swifts entering into the Fur Loft, followed by two exits. She also saw two entries into the Men’s House chimney. Later on that evening, Gerald Machnee observed one entry into the Men’s House chimney and two entries into the Fur Loft chimney.

Barb and Rob Stewart have been busy keeping an eye on the swifts in St. Adolphe. After observing many daytime entries and exits at the Club Amical from May 28^th to June 2^nd, they suspected that nest building was underway in the northeast chimney. The southeast chimney is proving to be a bit more confusing, with some monitoring sessions resulting in zero activity and other sessions resulting in the observation of entries and exits and the swifts spending a lot of time inside the chimney (which can be an indicator of nesting activity). On June 6^th, Barb and Rob noted long durations of time between entries and exits in the northeast chimney, suggesting that the swifts using this chimney have reached the incubation stage of nesting. It will be interesting to see what happens here in the next several weeks.

In La Broquerie, Frank Machovec monitored the church chimneys on June 1^st and observed three swifts enter the large chimney and two swifts enter the small chimney. On June 5^th, he saw three swifts enter the large chimney and one swift enter the small chimney.

In Dauphin, Ken Wainwright and crew observed two swifts enter the Malcom Block chimney, and four swifts occupying the chimney at once at Old Scott’s Hardware on June 1^st.

In St. Francois Xavier, Mike and Michele Tumber watched the church chimney on June 5^th and observed three entries into the chimney.

In St. Jean Baptiste, Luc Blanchette has been watching the church chimney. On May 31^st, he observed 16 entries and three exits, with a maximum of 13 swifts in the chimney at one time. On June 5^th, Luc observed 10 entries and three exits, with a maximum of eight swifts in the chimney at one time.

Our program assistant Aynsley has been monitoring the chimneys in Otterburne. On June 1^st, she observed one exit from the chimney near the bell tower, two entries into the large chimney, and one entry into the skinny chimney. On June 5^th, she observed four entries and two exits at the large chimney and three entries and exits at the skinny chimney. There was no observed activity in the chimney near the bell tower.

There have also been some sightings in The Pas, by Joel Kayer. On May 30^th and 31^st, he saw swifts flying in the sky near the VIA rail station in the afternoon. He heard some more swift activity on June 1^st.

That’s it for the updates for this week! If you’re wondering about where and when you can monitor in the upcoming weeks/months, please send us an email! High on our priority list is to find volunteers to monitor sites that haven’t had confirmed use by swifts in the last three years. These sites can be monitored at any time of day for any duration of time – the important part is seeing a swift enter or exit the chimney, which will confirm its status as a ‘residence’ for Chimney Swifts. Amanda has already successfully confirmed two of these sites by observing swifts entering them which is very exciting! We will continue to tackle this scavenger hunt as a group throughout the summer. Next week’s blog will focus on this mission of ours, and will include a detailed a list of these priority sites. We also encourage volunteers to continue monitoring at your ‘usual’ site if you have one.

Whew, that was a long one. Thanks folks, we really couldn’t do it without you! Remember to send us your reports and observations at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

— Cheers! -Marissa and Aynsley

Last week marked the beginning of our official monitoring season, and many of us bundled up and strapped down to watch for our feathered friends! It’s been windy… Hopefully not too many hats have been lost. We are now halfway through our official MCSI/NRMP nights. Our first two official monitoring nights were on May 24^th and May 28^th. The next official monitoring nights are on June 1^st and June 5^th. A friendly reminder to send in your swift reports and datasheets to mbchimneyswift@gmail.com. While it is fine to wait to send them in later in the season, we appreciate receiving the datasheets soon after each monitoring session so that we can stay on top of organizing the data and updating the blog.

Keep reading for a rundown of what’s been going in the swift world so far. 😊

Reports from Barb and Rob Stewart indicate that nest building is underway in St. Adolphe. Within an hour and a half on May 16^th, they were able to observe swifts entering and exiting all five nesting chimneys! In Barb’s words, “Some days are just so much more fun than others at the chimney side…today was one of those glory days”. Well said, Barb!

In St. Francois Xavier, Mike and Michele Tumber are monitoring the church and have reported four entries into the chimney on both May 24^th and May 28^th, also noting that there is lots of swift activity around overall.

Frank Machovec is monitoring the St Joachim RC Church Site in La Broquerie and observed one entry into each of the two chimneys on May 24^th. This number increased on May 28^th, with four entries into the ‘large chimney’ and one in the ‘small chimney’.

Selkirk, Lockport and Lower Fort Garry have been busy places for swifts this year, and thankfully we have a great group of folks keeping an eye on things! Thanks to Gerald Machnee, Robert Hempler, Winona Hook, Pattie and Dennis Beatty, Nia Massey, Linda Adie, Fred and Nettie Jensen, Tim Verbiwski, Veronica White, and Joanne Tuckwell. On May 24^th at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, two entries were observed in each of the infirmary chimney, yellow-brick chimney, T04 (powerhouse tower), and T02 (courtyard tower). Robert and Winona observed several entries and exits in the west tower (T01), suggesting nest building. On May 28^th, Pattie and Dennis noted three swifts entering T02 (the courtyard tower), Veronica observed one entry into T01, while Nia and Linda observed two entries into the ‘yellow brick chimney’ and two entries into T04 (powerhouse tower). On May 29^th, Robert observed a morning entry into the chimney at the infirmary, suggesting nest building. On May 30^th, Gerald observed a swift entering the chimney at the apartments in Selkirk. As for Lower Fort Garry, Joanne Tuckwell observed swifts using the chimney in the Fur Loft building and Gerald Machnee observed two swifts enter the Men’s House chimney. Tim Verbiwsk and Gerald Machnee have been keeping an eye on Lockport bridge. While swift activity there has overall been irregular so far this year, Tim did observe two entries on May 11^th and one entry on May 26^th.

Ken Wainwright and crew are monitoring the sites in Dauphin. Ken had observed around 30 swifts flying overhead on May 23^rd while watching a nesting chimney, so was expecting to see large numbers of swifts entering roosting chimneys during the official roost monitoring session on May 24^th (the following night). However, only eight swifts were seen at one time on May 24^th, indicating that many of the swifts from the previous night may have moved on. All four sites that were monitored on May 24^th in Dauphin had entries.

In St Jean Baptiste, Luc Blanchette has been monitoring the church. On May 22^nd he observed approximately 13 swifts flying around, with four of them entering the chimney. On May 29^th, the number of swifts that entered the chimney increased to ten, out of eleven swifts seen in total!

Marissa and Aynsley have been covering Providence College in Otterburne. On May 24^th, a total of four swifts circled the three chimneys around sunset, before one dropped into the chimney near the bell tower, another one dropped into the ‘skinny chimney’ and the remaining two swifts dropped into the ‘large chimney’. On May 28^th, Aynsley noted four entries into the ‘large chimney’ and one in the ‘skinny chimney’.

In Winnipeg, our volunteers have been busy at a variety of sites. Donna Milovitch watched the River Manor Apartments on May 24^th and May 28^th. While she did not see any swifts enter the chimney on the first night, she saw 89 swifts entering the chimney on the 28^th. David Wiebe monitored the Assiniboine School and saw two swifts enter the chimney with an additional four swifts flying around. Linda Curtis counted one swift entering the chimney at the Moorgate Apartments. Garry Budyk monitored at Pro Tac Roofing and caught two entries into the chimney. Blaire Barta, who has been monitoring the Behavioural Health Foundation in St. Norbert, did not observe any entries on May 24^th but did see one entry on May 28^th. Amanda Shave watched the Thunderbird Apartments, which was on our list of priority sites to determine ‘residence’ status. In an exciting turn of events, Amanda observed one swift enter the chimney, confirming that this chimney is being used by swifts!

As we continue our monitoring season, here are some general reminders to keep in mind:

Many of the sites we monitor are potential nest sites. The first 30 minutes of monitoring is considered “daytime”, where we hope to see if the sight is being used to roost, nest or both!

Arrival – Around mid May, swifts begin arriving in Manitoba. The arrival stage is characterized by the first reported sightings of Chimney Swifts in spring. Birds can be identified both by vocalizations and visual sightings. You may be able to hear the distinct chittering or see small cigar-shaped birds in small numbers foraging near known sites.

Chimney Swifts typically enter their sites within ½ hour of sunset (½ hour before to ½ hour after sunset = the roosting hour), for the remainder of the night. They do so by clinging to the rough wall interiors. Sometimes roost entries may occur earlier than the roosting hour, or swifts are in the air and are unaccounted for as it gets darker. Morning departures occur within ½ hour of sunrise (½ hour before to ½ hour after sunrise) in good weather conditions. Poor weather conditions may delay departure.

Behaviour of Chimney Swifts can be variable and interpreting it can be helped by what is going on in the environment. We commonly see roosting entries before the roosting hour on cold and rainy days, or when foraging conditions seem to be good. On days with poor weather conditions, swifts may use chimneys as refuges to wait out bad weather.

Nest Building – Watch for daytime entries and exits! Swifts will be active in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. During late May and early June, breeding pairs will start to gather small twigs from dead trees and glue them to the wall of the chimney with saliva forming a cup-shaped nest. Once the nest is large enough to hold one egg, sticks are added making it larger to hold more eggs. Nest building continues until the end of the incubation period. Once the eggs are hatched, the nest building stops and the adult swifts focus on feeding their young.

While watching your nest site, you may see a breeding pair approach a chimney together and enter one after the other. They may instead approach and only one swift drop in, while the other circles and flies off. On the other hand, single birds may approach and enter the chimney. Single or two consecutive exits may follow a time lag. The two important time intervals (duration-in (entry to exit) and between-visits (exit to entry)) that characterize different stages of nesting are variable during nest building.

Happy swift-watching!

-Aynsley and Marissa

As we get into warmer weather, we are beginning to see our little cigar-shaped feathered friends. According to eBird, the first Chimney Swift sightings of 2023 in Manitoba were on May 9^th in St. Jean Baptiste (reported by Luc Blanchette) and at Fort Whyte (reported by Marlene Waldron and Ward Christianson). Everyday, we are receiving more sightings of swifts! We have now had sightings in Carman, Dauphin, Selkirk, St. Adolphe, and various areas around Winnipeg such as St. Norbert, Assiniboine Park, Tuxedo, Wolseley, and North Kildonan.

Our official monitoring period begins next week. This year, our MCSI/NRMP monitoring nights are on May 24^th, May 28^th, June 1^st, and June 5^th. See our last blog post (https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/spring-has-sprung/) for a detailed run-down of our this year’s updated flexible monitoring approach and a description of the different types of sites we want to monitor.

We are still looking for volunteers to monitor chimneys that are priority for confirming ‘residence’ status as well as chimneys routinely monitored by MCSI, throughout the spring and summer on a schedule that works for you.

We are also looking for volunteers to monitor the following roost sites on NRMP nights:

Providence College (10 College Crescent, Otterburne)
May 24, May 28, June 1, June 5

River Manor Apartments (424 River Ave, Winnipeg)
May 28, June 1

Assiniboine School (175 Winston Rd, Winnipeg)
May 24, May 28

Rufus Prince Building (5000 Crescent Rd W, Portage La Prairie)
May 24, May 28, June 1, June 5

If you are interested in monitoring one of these roost sites, please let us know which site you would like to watch and which NRMP nights you are available. If you would like to monitor a priority site for confirming ‘residence’ status or would like to continue monitoring a site you have monitored in past years, email us at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.

We deeply appreciate all the time and effort our volunteers dedicate to Chimney Swifts conservation efforts. The MCSI could not do it without all of you!

Finally, please welcome Aynsley Woods, our program assistant! Aynsley spent lots of time monitoring Swifts last summer, while working with the Province of Manitoba’s Wildlife Branch. Aynsley was helping us out part-time this winter and will now be with us full-time. We are lucky to have her on board!

Happy ‘Swift-ing!

• Marissa and Aynsley

The swift approach of the 2023 monitoring season!

Hi folks! It’s been a long winter but it’s finally feeling like spring out there! As the emergence of leaves and the blooming of flowers approach, so too does the return of our Chimney Swifts. Based on eBird reports, they are slowly reaching/passing the Canadian border. You can view updates on CHSW movement at the following link: Chimney Swift – Species Map – eBird

We’ve been hard at work on our monitoring plan for the 2023 season, because we will be trying a slightly different approach than in previous years! This year, MCSI monitoring nights will be held on the same evenings as National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP) nights (a total of four evenings during a two-week period), with the option to monitor on different dates throughout the spring/summer based on the chimney category as well as the volunteer’s availability and desired time commitment (more details below).

Our MCSI/NRMP monitoring nights for 2023 will be on May 24^th, May 28^th, June 1^st, and June 5^th.  In case of poor weather, the rain day will be the following day.

Similar to previous years, our monitoring efforts will focus on three categories of chimneys. This includes 1) chimneys that host larger groups of swifts (part of the NRMP), 2) chimneys that are priority for confirming/reaffirming ‘residence’ status, and 3) chimneys that are routinely monitored by MCSI volunteers. Chimneys in category 1 should be monitored on MCSI/NRMP nights, while the chimneys in categories 2 and 3 can be monitored on MCSI/NRMP nights and/or anytime throughout the spring/summer on a schedule that suits the volunteer.

1) NRMP sites

Select chimneys that usually host larger groups of Chimney Swifts (4 or more swifts) are part of the National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP). These NRMP chimneys only need to be monitored on the four NRMP evenings at the start of the season.

Areas with NRMP chimneys to monitor include:

• Carman
• Otterburne
• Selkirk
• Souris
• Portage la Prairie
• La Broquerie
• Dauphin
• St Jean Baptiste
• Winnipeg – Fort Rouge
• Winnipeg – St James

2) Chimneys that are priority for confirming ‘residence’ status

Sites are confirmed as ‘residences’ when they have hosted Chimney Swifts at least once in the last 3 years. Based on this criterion, we have gone through our database and compiled a list of sites that are high priority for monitoring this year. By confirming use of these chimneys by swifts, the structures can be protected as Chimney Swift habitat into the future. These chimneys can be monitored on NRMP/MCSI nights as well as anytime throughout the spring/summer.

Areas with priority chimneys to monitor include:

• The Pas
• Manitou
• Morden
• Selkirk
• Winnipeg – City Centre
• Winnipeg – Elmwood
• Winnipeg – Fort Garry
• Winnipeg – Fort Rouge
• Winnipeg – North End
• Winnipeg – North Kildonan
• Winnipeg – River Heights
• Winnipeg – St Boniface
• Winnipeg – St James
• Winnipeg – St. Vital
• Winnipeg – West End

3) Chimneys routinely monitored by MCSI

Many chimneys that are typically used as nesting habitat by swifts have been monitored annually by MCSI volunteers. Monitoring these chimneys allows us to maintain the MCSI database and continue to gather data on where, when, and how chimneys are being used by swifts around Manitoba. These chimneys can be monitored on NRMP/MCSI nights as well as anytime throughout the spring/summer. These chimneys are not as high priority to monitor as the chimneys in category 2.

We realize that weekly MCSI monitoring in addition to NRMP nights is a big time commitment, so we hope that this approach will make monitoring more sustainable for our volunteers and will allow for flexible monitoring commitments throughout the season. During the remainder of the spring/summer, volunteers can continue to monitor on the schedule and frequency that works for them. This monitoring could include regular monitoring at a specific site and /or ‘special assignments’, such as one-time visits to chimneys that are a priority for confirming ‘residence’ status. Throughout the season, we will use the blog to update this list of chimneys that need ‘residence’ confirmation so that volunteers can be made aware, in real time, of which sites have been checked off our priority list and which sites still need confirmed use by swifts. Volunteers can move around and make the most of their time to confirm the most sites. Almost like a treasure hunt of sorts! A treasure hunt where the prize at the end is protecting important habitat for Chimney Swifts.

If you are looking for a chimney to monitor in your neighbourhood or are willing to travel to a site, send an email to myself (Marissa) at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.  We have more chimneys than monitors each year, and we’d love to have you join our effort to help the Chimney Swift.

Monitors from previous years – please confirm that you will be participating in the 2023 program and if you’d like to keep monitoring the same site(s) as last year or if you would like a different site. I would be more than happy to discuss with you what the most suitable sites would be based on your location, availability, and our monitoring priorities.

NRMP nights and the MCSI nights use the same monitoring protocol and data sheet. We ask that volunteers watch their site starting 60 minutes before sunset until 30 minutes after sunset (90 minutes total). In that time volunteers record numbers of swifts seen in the air, as well as the time and number of swifts that enter and exit the chimney.

The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative has made available on-line survey forms and protocols for the 2023 monitoring season:

VOLUNTEER RESOURCES are posted on our MCSI website at: http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/resources.html . There are links to video clips, research/general interest articles, and the all-important “Dashboard Placard” which identifies you as an MCSI volunteer.

— Marissa Berard

Winter has certainly arrived, and today marks the winter solstice. While the winter solstice means that today is the shortest day and longest night of the year, it also represents a hopeful inflection point. The days will now begin to get longer, and before we know it, the birds will begin to make their way back.

With that comforting thought in mind, here are a few swift-related happenings, updates, and newsflashes.

-Barb Stewart, one of our many incredible volunteers, has put together a summary of what happened at the different nest sites in St. Adolphe this past breeding season. You can read it here: Chimney Swift Nest Outcomes in St. Adolphe 2022.

-Interested in learning more about how the use of artificial nesting structures by Chimney Swifts in Manitoba? A fantastic article written by Tim Poole was recently published in the Blue Jay, and details the use of replacement structures at Old Grace Hospital and at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. The article also delves into how the timing of when these structures are put up can affect how they are used by Swifts. 

You can read Tim’s article (“Possible Effects of Placement Timing on the Use of Replacement Habitat by Chimney Swifts in Manitoba”) in our “Resources and Links” area at this link.

-It is never too late in the summer to find Chimney Swifts. On August 24^th, after receiving a tip from John Weier, Frank Machovec followed up on some sightings at the Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) to try determine what the swifts were up to. The previous week he had watched a very handsome chimney on site but saw no birds entering it. Later, he returned to watch a large round chimney with a round metallic flue showing above. Frank had assumed this huge chimney was capped but gave it a go anyway. Frank reported:

“After no activity for about half an hour, I had an entry by a single CHSW. A bit later there was frantic duo flying very low (and I mean VERY low) around the chimney. Because of nearby trees and the building, I had trouble maintaining visuals on the birds. I witnessed five apparent entries, but I suspect I missed some low exits to the north.”

A new site had been found. Frank shared the information with John Weier, who has some personal connections at CMU. John connected with the building management and managed to get access to the chimney. This was a fascinating chimney. It has a stainless-steel liner at the top. However, when John was able to crawl inside in the fall, he found a spacious interior with brick wall at least up to 25 feet from the ground. At this point it changed to a metal liner for the upper half. The metal liner was about a foot in diameter whereas the chimney at the base was about one metre square.

This was a great find and will be an intriguing site to watch in summer 2023.

-Last but not least, we want to extend another massive THANK YOU to our incredible volunteers. Your time, energy and enthusiasm are incredibly appreciated. We absolutely could not have achieved this successful monitoring season without you. Stay tuned for a summary of the monitoring results in the new year (and please send in any remaining datasheets if you haven’t already).

Happy holidays!

–Marissa

Hello! My name is Marissa Berard (she/her), and I am so excited to get started as the new coordinator for the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI). This program is so important, and I look forward to getting to know all the incredible, dedicated volunteers that allow this program to exist. 

I have had the opportunity to work closely with Chimney Swifts during my time in the Resource Conservation department at Riding Mountain National Park, where I helped coordinate and conduct Chimney Swift and other species at risk monitoring and outreach within the park. I have spent many hours sitting outside the Visitor Centre in Wasagaming, staring at the chimneys and getting puzzled looks from tourists walking by. I can only imagine what thoughts might be crossing their mind… What is that person doing sitting in a lawn chair, staring excitedly at a building? Can she even see anything with all the mosquitoes surrounding her head? I am sure many of you can relate to braving the bugs and the confused bystanders, to look for our Swift friends.

While I certainly love Chimney Swifts, there are other birds that also hold a special place in my heart. While working on my honours thesis with Dr. Gail Davoren at the University of Manitoba, I was fortunate to spend two summers in Newfoundland and help out with a variety of seabird research, including with puffins, razorbills and common murres. I love to volunteer at Delta Marsh Bird Observatory, which has really opened my eyes to the variety of beautiful plumages in the bird world, from sparrows to flycatchers to warblers. That being said, my favourite bird of all-time (though my family and friends would argue that I have several of these), remains the black-capped chickadee. Though a common occurrence, I love the chickadee’s lively heartiness and deeply appreciate their perpetual presence on my cross-country ski outings during our long Manitoba winters, even on the coldest of days. 

A few other non-bird related things about me… In my spare time I love to cross-country ski, do beadwork, play instruments and watch live music. My first language is French, and I am a proud Red River Métis with family ties to Saint-Boniface, Saint-Vital, and several other communities surrounding what is now Winnipeg.

I will be starting in the coordinator role part-time as I transition from Riding Mountain back to Winnipeg, and will start full-time in October. I thank you all for your patience as I get into the swing of things.

Cheers,

• Marissa

END OF AUGUST – START OF SEPTEMBER BLOG: THE END OF OUR CHIMNEY SWIFT SEASON IS THE START OF NEW BEGINNINGS

The end of the 2022 Chimney Swift monitoring season in Manitoba has arrived. MCSI sends out a BIG shoutout of thanks to everyone who participated in various activities this year. Citizen scientists form the all-important base which we build upon. Your monitoring data informs us about roosting activities and breeding behaviour. You help us identify Chimney Swift habitat, so that protection and restoration can take place. By alerting us to emergency situations, we can respond with appropriate rescue action (that duck falling through a nest site will be a memorable highlight for years to come!).

Good news landed this week from Gerald and Jo who were tracking the Men’s House nest site at Lower Fort Garry. Bundling all of their monitoring reports together gives us the indication that fledglings are on the wing! As usual, there were head scratching moments to figure out. Lucky for us that a cleanout trap at the Men’s House chimney should hold the secrets to verify the breeding outcome in this last-to-fledge site.

Chimney Swift shenanigans appear to be experienced by many of us (dare I say universally?). In her Aug. 23^rd report, Winnie Wake recounts a “turnaround analysis” for one of the London, ON, nest sites. Tim, you’re not the only person to have a forehead cleft from dealing with these birds! Here’s what Winnie wrote:

“FSA-SE is a particularly happy surprise. Considered done-for-the-season as a nest chimney a few weeks ago, it has come back to life, with a second nesting attempt! On Aug 16, the report of 7 paired in/outs in 40 mins was interpreted as neighbouring young swifts practising chimney entries. Extra visits (Aug 18, 19 & 20), deeper digging, and photos by Glenn Berry revealed otherwise. Seems that frenzy of ins and outs was carried out by strong fliers and coincided with a very high density of insects flying low around FSA. Parent swifts (photos showed jagged wing edges and bulging throats) were right on the job, grabbing food out of the air and shuttling it into the chimney at top speed. On Aug 23, at least one food delivery was noted and 2 more were observed the next morning. Yet, somehow the wily parents at FSA-SE eluded being counted as in-for-the-night on Aug 23 (perhaps not surprising since their second nest evaded detection during the entire incubation stage!).”

Lastly, but far from least, it is time to extend a warm and hearty greeting to Marissa Berard, our new MCSI Coordinator! Tanshi! Bienvenue! Bienvenidas!

You may have noticed that the MCSI auto-reply to emails changed recently. Marissa will be working 1 day a week now during her transition to fulltime status in early October. After the long weekend, Marissa will reach out and introduce herself to you all.

Thanks again for making the 2022 season such a success. We all look forward to working with Marissa to plan for 2023 – see you at the chimney sites next spring!

• Barb, for the MCSI Steering Committee.