On Wednesday, March 23rd Amanda presented MCSI’s Chimney Swift Champion plaque to staff at the Smith Agency, a Winnipeg-based property management company. The plaque was to recognize their work in the conservation of Chimney Swift habitat on an apartment roof in downtown Winnipeg.
Stuart Plant of the Smith Agency accepting the MCSI Chimney Swift Champion award.
The Smith Agency operates several buildings that are home to Chimney Swifts in Manitoba. Of particular interest in the summer of 2021 was the Scarsdale Apartments at 71 Kennedy Street. The chimney on this building has been on MCSI’s radar for Chimney Swifts for more than a decade.
In spring 2021 we a volunteer noted that that the chimney on the Scarsdale Apartments had a pest cage installed. Once the Smith Agency was contacted about a threatened species using that chimney, they acted very quickly to ensure habitat was available for the swifts! In many cases work such as capping or caging of chimneys happens with management and/or contractors simply not aware that swifts are using the chimney. Once notified Smith Agency were able to mitigate the impact to the Chimney Swifts by opening a second chimney on the building, which was previously inaccessible to the swifts due to a pest cage. MCSI monitored the site after the mitigation in June and swifts were seen entering and exiting the newly un-caged chimney during the day (possibly nesting), and also roosting at night. A great success story.
A big thank you the Smith Agency for their “swift” response and environmental stewardship for the Chimney Swift!
- Amanda
