Wow, what a week it’s been for birdwatching! The warblers have arrived in a big way, which is always exciting. The swift reports are also steadily coming in.
Here are a few quick reminders before we jump into the week’s recap:
- Please fill out the volunteer sign-up form (for new and returning volunteers): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSccnVO2iqF8pDPz68pBJsEfNHnUung0HZ_dsMalcgg4TDIuzA/viewform
- The datasheet and protocol for 2024 can be found on the Resources and Links page of our website. Quick note – the link in last week’s blog may have accidentally pointed you to the 2023 protocol. Apologies! Please make sure to check out the 2024 protocol.
- If you would like a volunteer lanyard, factsheets to hand out to the public, or any other monitoring resources, please let us know!
- The National Roost Survey dates are May 22, May 26, May 30, and June 3. If you are free to do a roost monitoring session on one or any of these nights, let us know. Otherwise, you can begin monitoring your site whenever works for you!
Volunteer appreciation/season kick-off event recap
On Tuesday, May 14th we held our first volunteer appreciation/season kick-off event at Assiniboine Park! It was a lovely evening. Thank you to the over 30 people who came out! It’s so nice to put faces to names.
We started off the evening by gathering in the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre’s multi-purpose room. We visited, ate some food, and talked all things swift.
Marissa and Laura kicking off the evening
Joanne Tuckwell (Species Conservation Specialist with Parks Canada, and a member of MCSI’s steering committee) shared a few stories of the Chimney Swifts at Lower Fort Garry. Laura Burns (Conservation Programs Manager with Assiniboine Park Conservancy, and also a member of MCSI’s steering committee) shared some background on the artificial swift tower at Assiniboine Park Zoo, including some cool footage of swifts inside the tower. Curious to see some of this video footage? Check out this video posted by Assiniboine Park on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce6SC9XsS3g
Laura presenting on the zoo tower
Despite the (very) soggy weather throughout the day, the rain let up just in time for us to head outdoors to check out the artificial tower and try and spot some swifts. While we did not see or hear any swifts, it was nice to see the tower and spend some time outside.
Group monitoring visit to the zoo’s artificial tower
We definitely hope to do an event like this again! As always, we’d love to hear what you think and what kinds of events you would be interested in.
A big thank you goes out to Assiniboine Park Conservancy for letting us use the space and for their help throughout the event.
Monitoring recap
On May 13, Katharine found a ‘sky full of swifts’ in Souris – what a nice surprise! All the swift activity inspired Katharine to do an impromptu roost monitoring sessions at the Whistling Donkey Pub. She observed 1 entry at 8:45pm, 1 entry at 9:00 pm, and 1 more entry at 9:06 pm, for a total of 3 entries into the chimney. Overall, she saw a total of about 17 swifts foraging low in the Souris airspace.
On May 15, Ken and Jan monitored the Malcolm Block Building (which is the main roost chimney in Dauphin). They saw a total of 16 swifts flying overhead, with 13 entries into the Malcolm Block chimney.
As usual, Gerald has been busy looking out for swifts around Selkirk, Lockport and Lower Fort Garry. On May 9, Gerald spotted 5 swifts flying around the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. He managed to catch some action at the T2 tower – 1 entry at 8:52pm, 1 exit at 8:58pm, and 1 entry at 8:59pm. On May 10, he checked out Lockport and Lower Fort Garry and while he saw a couple of swifts in the sky at both locations, he did not see any entries or exits. Gerald returned to Lower Fort Garry on May 16 and saw two swifts enter the Men’s House followed by another two swifts entering the Fur Loft. Nice!
Also on May 16, Patti, Nia and Linda monitored at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. Patti saw 2 swifts enter the T2 tower, Nia saw 2 swifts enter the Yellow Brick chimney, and Linda saw 1 swift enter the T4 tower (she mentioned there may also have been one more entry that she missed).
Looking forward to seeing what the swift activity is like as the National Roost Survey dates kick off next week. As always, please contact us if you have any questions, comments, or would like to be matched with another site.
Wishing you all a lovely long weekend!
-Marissa
