It is with sadness that we belatedly report the passing of Neil Butchard.
Neil served on the steering committee of the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative from its earliest days, and he participated for many years. In addition to his service on our committee, he was an avid photographer, frequent contributor to Manitoba Birding on Facebook, and a well-regarded and skilled guide at Fort Whyte Alive.
Neil (image posted on Facebook January 28, 2025)
On a biographical note, here are a few details from a tribute on Facebook:
After his internship at the Children’s Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he returned to Manitoba and spent his career as a school psychologist and Clinical Psychologist in Manitoba. During this time, he touched many lives. Along with his best friend Bob Spencer they formed WEVAS Inc. that helped trained individuals on effective and humane ways of dealing with children and adolescence, who were aggressive and violent. He also did some teaching at both universities and sat on various boards. For a time he was acting director of the Children and Youth Secretariat.
Neil obviously left a lasting impression on those he encountered as evidenced by the following observations posted after Neil’s obituary in the Winnipeg Free Press Passages section (February 1, 2025):
“A bright light has somewhat been extinguished and it will be hard to imagine Neil being gone because he lived life with such positive energy. It was fun to feed a birding question or observation to him because you just knew that he would light up and relish the pursuit or chance for a new insight into nature. RIP good friend and mentor.” – Lewis Cocks
“We remember Neil as a colleague and friend. He was instrumental in the establishment of psychological support services to rural and suburban students in Manitoba. He also pioneered the use of computers for children with disabilities. He was insightful, compassionate and a great teacher.” – Keven & Gloria Van Camp
“Neil was an outstanding leader of birding walks at Fort Whyte-supportive of new birders and keen to share his love of nature. Our sincere Condolences to his family and friends.”- Louise Buelow-Smith & Eric Smith
CHIMNEY SWIFT NEST SITE OUTCOMES IN ST. ADOLPHE, MB, 2024
Chimney Swifts using five nest sites in St. Adolphe have been monitored annually since 2007. So, 2024 was the 18th consecutive year of observing breeding Chimney Swifts in town. Behaviour observations plus the physical evidence seen in cleanout traps were used to assess nesting success at the Brodeur Bros./Daycare and Main St. sites. Only behaviour observations were available to assess nesting success at the SE Club Amical, NE Club Amical, and the Church sites (there are no accessible cleanout traps associated with those chimneys).
Merci et thank you to our swift-friendly landlords and tenants: S. and A. Leclerc; Paroisse St. Adolphe; the RM of Ritchot; and the staff of the St. Adolphe Child Care Centre. Your support of this Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative research program and St. Adolphe’s Chimney Swifts is appreciated!
In 2024, breeding pairs of Chimney Swifts were established at the 5 nest sites between May 20-21 and June 3. Nest building, egg laying, incubation, and hatching occurred at all sites. Unfortunately, nest failures began in July and by mid-month four nests of juveniles were lost (SE Club Amical, NE Club Amical, Brodeur Bros./Daycare and Main St.). Fortunately, the breeding pair at the Church prevailed, assisted by helpers, and fledglings took their first flights outside the chimney July 26-27.
The movement of adult Chimney Swifts from failed St. Adolphe nest sites, and the addition of out-of-town pre-migratory swifts, into the Church chimney BEFORE the young in the nest had fledged was documented for the first time in 18 years of monitoring. It was a fascinating biological event to track but it meant for wild observation periods! The maximum count was 21 Chimney Swifts using the Church on Aug. 7. Swarms of swifts dove toward the chimney before veering off or dropping quickly into the chimney. Sometimes groups of birds burst out of the chimney like popcorn. Tracking parents, established helpers, fledglings (2 at least), relocated swifts from other St Adolphe nest sites and “birds from away” meant arriving at the Church before sunrise to catch first exits of the day, coming back mid-morning to document feeding and socializing groups, then tracking swifts in the evening for roosting or nighttime occupation of the Church chimney. The last Chimney Swift seen in town in 2024 was a lone migrant on the evening of Aug. 27th. All in all, it was a season to remember!
What should be remembered also are the years of unwavering support that Suzanne and Arthur Leclerc provided to me and the Chimney Swifts that called “Main St.” home. Heartfelt thanks are extended for all of your generous contributions! On January 1, 2025 a new family moved into the house that Arthur’s Grandfather built ~1920. While the Leclerc family’s tenure as swift “landlords” has ended, the Main St. chimney will remain as a valuable nest site for future generations of breeding Chimney Swifts in St. Adolphe. We welcome the new family who will share their special home with the swifts.
In early March, Chimney Swifts leave their wintering grounds in the Amazon Basin and begin to migrate north. Crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the birds arrive in the southern US – Texas to Florida – then continue north as they distribute themselves through the summer breeding range. We can look forward to hearing the characteristic chittering of Chimney Swifts in early to mid-May as they race about the St. Adolphe skies. Then, another year of monitoring begins.
I look forward to seeing you by the chimney sides in the spring of ’25 (year no. 19)!
Summary of Chimney Swift breeding outcomes, for five St. Adolphe nest sites in 2024. These results are based on 75 hours of observations.
SITE
NESTING ATTEMPT?
OUTCOME OF NESTING ATTEMPT
SE CLUB AMICAL
YES
UNSUCCESSFUL; failed ~July 10-16
NE CLUB AMICAL
YES
UNSUCCESSFUL; failed ~July 10-16
BRODEUR BROS./ ST. ADOLPHE CHILDCARE CENTRE
YES
UNSUCCESSFUL; failed ~July 6-15
CHURCH
YES
SUCCESSFUL; 2+ fledglings, July 26-27
MAIN ST.
YES
UNSUCCESSFUL; failed by July 17
Prepared by Barb Stewart, Sila Consultants, February 3, 2025. sila.stewart@gmail.com
The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative will be hosting a presentation at the Dauphin Public Library on Monday February 3 @ 7:00pm. We’d love to see you there! Please spread the word to anyone else you know who might be interested.
This presentation is free, and all ages are welcome. No registration required, though RSVPs are always appreciated. If you are interested in attending, we’d love to hear from you via email at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.
Dauphin is an important spot for Chimney Swifts. Thanks to our dedicated team of volunteers in Dauphin, we know that Chimney Swifts regularly return to several chimneys for roosting and nesting every year. What we know much less about, is if Chimney Swifts are using natural habitat in the area.
Before chimneys existed, Chimney Swifts nested and roosted in hollow trees and caves. As human settlement expanded, Chimney Swifts shifted to nesting primarily in chimneys. They do still use hollow trees, but we know very little about where and how often this happens. Based on some past observations of Chimney Swifts in forested areas near Dauphin, we suspect they may be nesting/roosting in trees nearby. As suitable chimney habitat continues to disappear, learning more about where and how Chimney Swifts use natural habitats is an important step in the conservation of this species. We released a new factsheet on this very topic this past summer, which you can find here: https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/just-the-facts-new-factsheets/
During this presentation this talk in Dauphin, we will dive into the world of Chimney Swifts, including what we know and don’t know about Chimney Swifts in forests. We hope that by raising awareness and getting more people to look out for Chimney Swifts in forested areas, we might be able to find out if and where they are nesting in trees in Manitoba!
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out! You can send an email to mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.
Please pass along this presentation invite to your networks. If you would like a copy of the poster, send me an email and I can send you a PDF or picture version.
I hope you are all staying warm on this chilly Winter Solstice Eve! With the holiday season in full swing and the New Year just around the corner, it feels like the perfect time to reflect on the 2024 Chimney Swift season and share the monitoring summary results.
Thank you very much to the 90+ volunteers (wow!!!) who helped with our monitoring program this year. We are so grateful for this growing community of people who are passionate about Chimney Swift conservation. This program truly could not function without volunteer support, so we really can’t say it enough – thank you for your time, patience, and energy!
We would love to hear any feedback on our monitoring program and your experience as a volunteer – what you like, what you don’t like, suggestions, etc. I’d also love to know your thoughts on the season kick-off event, and if you’d be interested in an event like this next year. Here is a link to a feedback form which can be submitted anonymously or with your name depending on what you are most comfortable with: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHVjFHpsw44dbWaqMl4zbLnafbG6bUeeh1MbCLuvGR_emAxg/viewform?usp=header
You can now find the updated MCSI Roost and Nest Site database on the “Monitoring Results” page of the website or by clicking here. This document summarizes the peak Chimney Swift count (and the date on which it occurred) at each monitored site as well as the date on which the peak count occurred. This document also indicates if each monitored site was used as a roost site or a nest site (based on the monitoring data available). This document also indicates if a nesting attempt was successful or if it was a failure (if known).
Here are a few highlights:
We monitored ~155 sites in 30 communities across Manitoba.
We confirmed 6 new swift sites: a private residence on Kerby Ave in Miami, the Hemp Oil building in Ste Agathe, a private residence on Ruby St in Winnipeg’s Wolseley neighbourhood, Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg, the apartment building at 481 Corydon Ave, and the west chimney on the Infirmary building at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (swifts regularly use the east chimney).
We confirmed the presence of swifts at 14 sites on our priority list.
90+ volunteers participated in our monitoring program.
This year, we tried something new and started the year off with a volunteer appreciation & season kick-off event at Assiniboine Park on May 14. It was lovely to see so many friendly faces, meet other swift enthusiasts, and get excited for the upcoming monitoring season.
As usual, we participated in the National Chimney Swift Roost Survey (frequently referred to as NRMP). This year, the NRMP nights took place on May 22, May 26, May 30, and June 3. By monitoring on these nights (with a focus on sites that host high counts of roosting swifts), we are able to contribute Manitoba data to this national effort. If you’re curious to learn more about this national program, you can visit the following webpage: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/bird-surveys/volunteers/national-chimney-swift-roost-survey-protocol.html On that webpage (in Appendix 3), you can find the annual dates for the 4 spring monitoring nights until 2031.
This year, we also organized monthly monitoring blitzes. Our blitzes took place on June 19, July 17, and August 7. While the spring NRMP nights are useful to know if a site is being used as a spring roost by swifts, we can’t necessarily tell that early on if a site will be used for a nesting attempt throughout the summer. These additional monitoring nights provided us with more information on when, where and how swifts use different sites.
Volunteers were free to monitor whenever worked for them throughout the season, whether that was on scheduled NRMP nights and/or monthly blitzes, or on different days if they were Some volunteers regularly monitored the same site, while others visited a variety of different sites to check for swift presence.
Thank you once again to our incredible network of volunteers.
I’d also like to extend a big thank you to the MCSI Steering Committee for their ongoing support:
Tim Poole, Barb Stewart, Rob Stewart, Frank Machovec, Christian Artuso, Lewis Cocks, Nicole Firlotte, Joanne Tuckwell, Ron Bazin, Ken De Smet, Laura Burns, Meredith Stoesz, Kristin Mozel
We’ll be back in the new year with more swift stories to tell and updates to share.
Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!
It’s official – the swifts have headed south and the 2024 Chimney Swift monitoring season has officially come to an end. What a successful season it was! Thank you SO MUCH to our wonderful and dedicated team of volunteers. We will share the monitoring summary in a future blog post once we’ve compiled all the data. On that note, please remember to send in any remaining datasheets!
Now for the final recap of the year:
St Adolphe
Barb did a roost hour watch of the Church on Sept 1 and while she saw 1 lone swallow and a group of Common Nighthawks foraging overhead, she did not see any swifts.
SMHC
Nia and Linda watched the Yellow Brick chimney and T04 on August 29 during the roosting hour and saw no swifts.
Winona watched T01 on August 30 from 7:45pm-8:25pm and saw 1 entry at 8:15pm, 1 exit at 8:16pm, 1 entry at 8:21pm and 1 entry at 8:22pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney).
Gerald watched T01 on September 3 from 7:50pm-8:00pm and did not see any swifts in the area.
Lower Fort Garry
If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, you’ll know that the Fur Loft had a late nesting attempt and that the site finally fledged last week. Gerald watched the Fur Loft on Sept 1 from 7:27-8:34pm and saw 1 exit at 7:35pm, 1 entry at 7:45pm, 3 entries at 8:00pm, 1 entry at 8:03pm, 1 exit at 8:07pm and 1 entry at 8:18pm (5 swifts roosting in the chimney).
On September 3, Gerald watched the Fur Loft for 5 minutes and saw 2 entries at 8:17pm.
Gerald returned on Sept 4 to check if the swifts were still there. There were no swifts to be seen, confirming that the adults and young of the year have officially departed!
That wraps up our final monitoring update of the year. We will be back soon with a season summary to share.
Well, we’ve reached the end of August and fall is officially in the air! Swift numbers are definitely dwindling in most spots now – many of your reports this week indicated no swifts around. However, they are still present in some areas. Interestingly, as of August 28, there were still swifts in The Pas which is the northernmost part of their range! More details in the monitoring summary below.
The swifts will likely all be gone from Manitoba in the next week (or two, if there are some real stragglers). Thank you for your continued monitoring efforts, and please don’t forget to send in your datasheets!
Lower Fort Garry
Gerald monitored at Lower Fort Garry on August 26 from 7:45pm-8:54pm. At the Fur Loft, there was 1 entry/exit around 7:59pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:13pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:18pm, 1 entry at 8:32pm and 1 entry at 8:33pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). Wow, feeding still ongoing!!! At the Men’s House, there was no activity – it seems those adults and fledglings have officially departed.
Gerald returned on August 29 to check on the nesting attempt. He watched the Fur Loft from 8:10pm-8:45pm, and saw 2 entries at 8:11pm, 1 exit at 8:13pm, 1 entry at 8:19pm, 1 exit at 8:20pm, 1 entry at 8:20pm, 1 entry at 8:28pm, 1 exit at 8:29pm, 1 entry at 8:34pm and 1 entry at 8:35pm. That’s 5 swifts roosting in the chimney! Great news – it looks like this late nesting attempt has resulted in successful fledging! A MASSIVE thank you to Gerald for the hours and hours of work this season, from all his own monitoring time to coordinating the Selkirk Birdwatchers Club monitoring efforts.
Selkirk Mental Health Centre
Gerald monitored T01, T03 and the Infirmary chimney on August 24 from 7:50pm-9:02pm (with the help of his trusty camera set-up). At T03, he saw 6 entries between 8:29pm and 8:56pm (6 swifts roosting in the tower). At the Infirmary chimney, he saw 1 entry at 7:55pm, 1 exit at 8:15pm, 1 entry at 8:28pm, 7 entries between 8:45pm-8:47pm, 4 exits between 8:48pm-8:50pm, and 1 entry at 8:56pm (up to 8 swifts in the chimney but 5 swifts inside the chimney at the end of the roosting hour). At T01, there was zero activity observed.
St Adolphe
On August 27, Rob and Barb did a roosting hour watch at the Church chimney.
Barb reports: “A single swift was feeding low over the cemetery. Then two were spotted, then four. Well, that was a good start. After repeat sightings of one to four swifts, a ruckus broke out just at sunset involving a low flying group of swifts mixed with Barn Swallows; it was impossible to count which bird was what species at this dark point of the evening skirmish. A predatory hawk, small sized – let’s call in a “merlin” – was being mobbed. The hawk roosted on top of the hydro pole behind the rectory and sat there undisturbed, rubbing its bill on the top of the pole. After ~3 minutes the hawk flew off. We didn’t see a swift after that for the next ~25 minutes. And, voila, the roosting hour was over.”
While 4 swifts were seen in the air, there were no entries/exits at the Church chimney. Barb and Rob aren’t sure where the swifts ended up roosting.
The Pas
Danica and Grace watched the Loraine Apartments chimney (114 3rd St W) on August 28 from 1:01pm-2:01pm. They saw lots of activity – 1 exit at 1:01pm, 1 entry at 1:17pm, 1 exit at 1:18pm, 1 entry at 1:29pm, 1 entry at 1:30pm, 1 exit at 1:30pm, 1 entry at 1:31pm, 1 exit at 1:32pm, 1 entry at 1:32pm, 1 exit at 1:32pm, 2 entries at 1:33pm, 2 exits at 1:33pm, and 3 entries at 1:34pm. They saw up to 5 swifts flying at once, with 4 of these swifts seen using the chimney. Danica and Grace mentioned that they believe the group of 5 swifts includes 2 adults and 3 fledglings.
Portage la Prairie
On August 28, Gordon and Jana monitored the National Indigenous Residential School Museum of Canada from 8:00pm-8:45pm and saw no swifts.
Winnipeg
One of our priority sites this year is L&B Towers (415 Edison Ave). Earlier this summer, we thought this site was capped but it turns out there is in fact a chimney still open on this building, it’s just very tricky to see! On August 27, Tim was at this site and saw 4 swifts flying around L&B Towers, including 1 exit from the chimney. Woohoo, confirmed!
Donna monitored St Paul the Apostle Parish on August 25, from 40 minutes before sunset until 15 minutes after sunset. She did not see any swift activity.
On August 23, Blair monitored 261 Youville St from 7:59pm-8:50pm and saw no swifts. On August 26, Blair monitored 1310 Archibald St from 7:46pm-8:27pm and saw no swifts at this site as well.
Breanne regularly monitored the Maryland Foodfare throughout the summer. On August 14, she monitored from 7:50pm-9:20pm and saw 1 entry at 8:44pm and 1 entry at 8:46pm. On August 27, she monitored from 7:25pm-8:55pm and did not see any swifts.
It looks like the swifts have now departed from most Winnipeg sites.
Updated Priority Site List (August 30):
Community
Neighbourhood
Address
Site
Observer
Eriksdale
–
16 Railway Ave
St John’s Anglican Church and former Eriksdale Museum
As we near the end of August, the swift counts in many areas are now starting to vary greatly from night to night. Most swifts have now wrapped up their nesting attempts, and the adults and fledglings are gearing up to head south (though there seems to be one site with feeding still ongoing – details in the Lower Fort Garry update below). This is an exciting time of year because you might notice migrating swifts roosting in a chimney that wasn’t being used during the nesting season. As always, keep an eye and ear out and let us know if you have any observations to report!
Dauphin
On August 21, Pat watched the Hong Kong Café chimney during the roosting hour. 7 swifts entered the chimney for the roosting hour. Pat notes: “At several times I saw 7-9+ swifts fling about but when all was said and done, only 7 went down the roost chimney. They were all flying about, chasing each other and then they were gone? I did notice one that tried to go down earlier but it had trouble lining itself up and fluttered off after one attempt so I suspect a YOY” – yep, sounds like fledglings! Great to hear.
Because the number of swifts seen in the sky during Pat’s monitoring session was higher than the number of swifts that were seen entering the Hong Kong Café chimney, Ken was curious to see if some of these swifts were roosting in the Old Scott’s Hardware chimney (which is the nearest known chimney to the Hong Kong Café). Ken monitored the Old Scott’s Hardware chimney the next evening (Aug 22) but did not see any swifts using this chimney. As Ken put it, “the mystery continues!”
La Broquerie
Frank watched the St Joachim Church in La Broquerie on August 18 from 7:50pm-9:10pm. At the large chimney, he saw 2 entries at 8:11pm, 1 entry at 8:18pm, and 2 entries at 8:22pm (5 swifts roosting in the chimney). At the small chimney, he saw 1 entry at 8:06pm, 1 entry at 8:17pm, 1 exit at 8:18pm, 1 entry at 8:24pm, and 1 entry at 8:33pm (3 swifts roosting in the chimney).
The two chimneys at the St Joachim Roman Catholic Church in La Broquerie. Photo by Frank Machovec.
Lockport
On August 17, Gerald watched the St Andrews Lock and Dam Maintenance Compound from 8:00pm-9:10pm. He saw 1 swift rapidly enter the south chimney at 8:54pm. There were no entries or exits into the north chimney.
On August 21, Fred and Nettie monitored these chimneys from 7:30pm-9:05pm and saw no activity.
Lower Fort Garry
On August 20, Gerald watched the Lower Fort Garry sites on from 7:45pm-9:06pm. At the Fur Loft, there was 1 exit at 8:04pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:13pm, 1 exit at 8:18pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:33pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:38pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:43pm, and 2 entries at 8:51pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). Seems like feeding activity – this late breeding attempt is still ongoing! We’re guessing that this site should fledge within the next week – we will see what happens.
At the Men’s House, there were 3 entries at 8:39pm, 2 entries at 8:40pm, 1 edit at 8:43pm, 1 entry at 8:48pm, 1 entry at 8:49pm, 1 exit at 8:50pm and 1 entry at 8:51pm (6 swifts roosting in the chimney).
Selkirk Mental Health Centre
On August 17, Patti and Dennis watched T02 from 8:08pm-9:13pm and saw 4 entries between 8:41pm-9:04pm (4 swifts roosting in the chimney).
On August 22, Linda and Nia watched the Yellow Brick chimney and T04 from 7:58pm-9:05pm. At the Yellow Brick chimney, they saw 4 entries between 8:36pm-8:51pm (4 swifts roosting in the chimney). At T04, they saw 3 entries at 8:44pm, 2 entries at 8:46pm, 1 exit at 8:47pm, 1 entry at 8:48pm, 1 entry at 8:54pm, 2 entries at 8:55pm, 1 exit at 9:15pm, 1 exit at 9:16pm, and 1 entry at 9:16pm (up to 8 swifts in the chimney but only 7 swifts in at the end of the roosting hour).
Southport
On August 21, Jana watched the Mynarski House from 7:53pm-8:58pm and saw only 1 swift, which entered the chimney at 8:27pm.
Wasagaming
On August 11, Ellie monitored the chimney at 306 Buffalo Drive from 8:30-9:30pm and saw no activity.
Updated Priority Site List (August 23):
Community
Neighbourhood
Address
Site
Observer
Eriksdale
–
16 Railway Ave
St John’s Anglican Church and former Eriksdale Museum
We have officially reached mid-August – time is really flying by. Before we know it, the swifts will be departing. There’s lots of great monitoring still happening – thank you as always to our incredible volunteers!
If you want to get another monitoring session or two in before the end of the season, I recommend looking at our priority list (at the end of this blog post) and checking out one of these sites during the roosting hour! If there isn’t a site on this list that works for you to monitor, send us a message and we can give you some more options of other sites that haven’t been watched yet this year and that would be worth checking for occupancy.
Let’s get right into the monitoring updates.
Darlingford
On August 13, Frank drove out to Darlingford for a roost hour watch of the Darlingford School Heritage Museum, from 8:20pm-9:30pm. He saw two swifts enter the chimney at 8:41pm, and 1 more entry at 8:59pm (3 swifts roosting in the chimney).
Darlingford School Heritage Museum (rear view). Photo by Frank Machovec.
Portage la Prairie
On August 13, Jana watched the Mynarski House in Southport and saw 2 entries at 8:27pm, 2 entries at 8:36pm, and 1 entry at 8:41pm (5 swifts roosting in the chimney).
On August 14, Gordon watched the Trinity United Church from 8:28pm-9:15pm. He saw 2 entries at 8:39pm, 1 entry at 8:57pm, and 1 entry at 9:02pm (4 swifts roosting in the chimney).
The Pas
Joel has been regularly monitoring the Lorraine Apartments in The Pas. On July 25 he monitored from 8:44am-9:14am and did not see any activity. On July 13, he monitored from 9:21am-9:51am and saw 1 entry/exit at 9:29pm. On August 8th, he monitored from 2:13pm-2:30pm and noticed at least 2 adult swifts (possibly 3) silently entering and exiting the chimney every few minutes. On August 16th, he monitored from 9:43am-9:55am and saw 1 entry at 9:54am, and 2 exits at 9:55am.
St Adolphe
Barb and Rob did a roosting hour watch at the Church on August 11 and counted 19 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour, which is 2 down from their roosting hour count on August 7.
Lower Fort Garry
On August 14, Gerald did two monitoring sessions at Lower Fort Garry – one during the daytime (11:45am-12:30pm) and one during the roosting hour (8:00pm-9:12pm). During the daytime at the Fur Loft, there was 1 entry at 12:26pm and 1 exit at 12:26pm. At the Men’s House, there were 2 entries at 12:13pm and 1 exit at 12:22pm. During the roosting hour at the Fur Loft, there was 1 entry/exit around 8:05pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:14pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:26pm, 1 entry at 8:45pm and 1 entry at 8:46pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). At the Men’s House, there was 1 entry/exit around 8:00pm, 2 entries at 8:15pm, 2 probable entries at 8:18pm (Gerald briefly had to look at the camera to change the battery), 1 exit at 8:19pm, 2 entries at 8:37pm, and 1 entry at 8:43pm (at least 4 swifts roosting in the chimney, but possibly 6 swifts roosting in the chimney).
It seems feeding is ongoing at the Fur Loft, and there are fledglings at the Men’s House.
Selkirk Mental Health Centre
On August 9, Evan monitored T03 and the Infirmary chimney from 8:25pm-9:30pm. Once again, there was lots of activity at both these sites! During the 65-minute session, there were up to 21 swifts seen flying overhead. At the Infirmary, there were a total of 18 entries and 15 exits, with up to 4 swifts in the chimney at once but only 3 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour. At T03, there were 15 entries and 14 exits, with only 1 swift confirmed in the chimney at once and 1 swift in the tower at the end of the roosting hour – that’s a lot of ins and outs!
On August 12, Patti and Dennis monitored T02 from 8:08pm-9:24pm. Between 8:57pm and 9:19pm, they saw 13 entries and 4 exits, with 9 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour!
On August 13, Fred and Nettie monitored T01 from 7:40pm-9:25pm. They saw 1 exit at 7:54pm, 1 exit at 8:15pm, 1 entry at 8:29pm, 1 exit at 8:30pm, 1 entry at 9:05pm, and 1 entry at 9:06pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). Nia and Linda monitored the Yellow Brick chimney from 8:28pm-9:28pm, and saw 2 entries at 8:50pm, 1 entry at 8:52pm, 1 entry at 8:53pm, and 1 exit at 9:01pm (3 swifts roosting in the chimney). At T04, Linda and Nia saw 1 entry at 8:40pm, 2 entries at 8:45pm, 1 entry at 9:00pm, 1 entry at 9:09pm, 2 exits at 9:10pm, 3 entries at 9:15pm, 1 exit at 9:15pm, 1 exit at 9:16pm, and 1 entry at 9:16pm (5 swifts roosting in the chimney).
On August 15, Winona monitored the Infirmary and T03 during the evening. At the Infirmary chimney, she saw 11 entries and 6 exits, with 5 swifts roosting in the chimney. At T03, she saw 5 entries and 3 exits, with 2 swifts roosting in the chimney.
Selkirk
Winona monitored the Merchant’s Hotel on August 9 from 8:30pm-9:15pm but did not see any activity.
Gerald monitored the Main St apartment building on August 9 from 8:25pm-10:20pm. He saw 1 entry at 8:47pm and 1 entry at 8:56pm.
Winnipeg
John monitored the CMU chimney during the daytime on August 10, from 2:53pm-4:01pm. There was not much activity – only 1 brief swift fly-by at 4:01pm (no entries or exits). John returned to monitor the chimney on August 11, this time in the evening from 7:59pm-9:23pm, to see if there were any swifts roosting in the chimney. He saw 1 entry at 8:42pm ,1 slow fluttering entry at 8:50pm, 2 entries at 8:59pm (one of which was a slow fluttering entry), 1 entry at 9:09pm, and 1 entry at 9:16pm. That’s a total of 6 swifts roosting in the chimney! The slow fluttering entries and high swift counts could indicate the presence of fledglings, and supports a successful nesting attempt at this site! On August 12, Graham did a roosting hour monitoring session at the chimney, from 8:16pm-9:20pm. He saw 1 entry at 8:15pm, 1 entry at 8:25pm, 1 entry at 8:50pm, 1 entry at 8:54pm, 1 entry at 9:02pm, and 1 entry at 9:06pm (6 swifts roosting in the chimney once again). Graham noted that he thinks the last swift that entered was definitely a fledgling because it spent a few minutes circling the chimney before finally attempting to enter.
Aynsley monitored the tower at the Assiniboine Park Zoo on August 13 during the roosting hour. She observed up to 3 swifts using the tower, with 1 swift in the tower at the end of the roosting hour.
Jennifer watched the chimney at 340 Provencher Blvd (CCFM) on August 9, for approx. 30 minutes just after sunset. She saw 2 entries within a few minutes of each other. The next day on August 10, she watched the chimney again for 25 minutes during the roosting hour. There was 1 entry at 8:48pm, 1 exit followed by 1 entry at 8:51pm, 1 exit at 8:54pm, 1 entry at 9:01pm and 1 entry at 9:02pm.
Updated Priority Site List (August 16):
Community
Neighbourhood
Address
Site
Observer
Eriksdale
–
16 Railway Ave
St John’s Anglican Church and former Eriksdale Museum
Blitz results, record-breaking numbers in St Adolphe, etc!
It’s time for the weekly monitoring recap, including results from our blitz on August 7 – thanks to everyone who was able to monitor on this day, or another day this week! Friendly reminder to send along any monitoring sheets (it’s never too late to send in your reports, even if they are from a few months ago).
This time of year can be quite confusing when it comes to interpreting what is going on chimney-side, given the mix of new fledglings and the possibility of newly-arrived adult migrants. While it’s often difficult to know with certainty what is happening, it’s fun to speculate and give our best guesses! Keep reading for the latest updates.
St Adolphe
On August 2, Barb spent 70 minutes monitoring the Church during the daytime, but did not see a single swift. In fact, she did not see a single aerial insectivore!
On August 7 (blitz day), Barb and Rob monitored from 8:00pm to 10:30pm, which included 30 minutes of “daytime” monitoring and 60 minutes of “roost hour” monitoring. During the “daytime” portion, they did see one or two swifts flying low in the sky, but did not see any entries or exits. Around sunset, Rob saw a group of 8-9 swifts in the sky. At 9:02pm, there was 1 “seemingly cautious” entry. 10 minutes later, 2 more swifts entered. Barb described these entries as : “a meteoric drop which was markedly different in style to the first swift roosting for the night”. That’s when things really picked up… Between 9:15pm and 9:20pm, there were 18 more entries! That’s a total of 21 swifts roosting in the chimney.
Barb pointed out the significance of this observation: “Total entries = 21! That number is a seasonal high for ’24 and a new record for max in the Church – the previous max in was 19 roosting on Aug 17-18, 2009. So the numbers at the Church likely reflect Church fledglings/parents, failed breeding adults from ST A and some From Aways…maybe more will arrive over the next couple of weeks as the swifts get pointed south…”
Brandon
The search for swifts in Brandon has proven very difficult this year. Despite their big efforts, the monitoring team has not been able to find out where the swifts (which are seen intermittently) are roosting. Louanne did let me know about an eBird report by Carson of 3 swifts at the Riverbank Discovery Centre on August 8 at 8:45am.
Portage la Prairie
Gordon watched Olina Jewels and the MTS building on August 7 (blitz day) from 8:35pm-9:30pm, but did not see any swifts.
Southport
Jana watched the Mynarski House on August 7 (blitz day) from 8:11pm-9:20pm and once again saw a lot of activity. She saw 1 entry at 8:14pm, 1 entry at 8:19pm, 1 exit at 8:21pm, 1 entry at 8:33pm, 1 exit at 8:40pm, 1 entry at 8:44pm, 1 entry at 8:57pm, 1 exit at 9:02pm, 1 entry at 9:05pm, 1 exit at 9:06pm, 1 entry at 9:08pm, and 1 entry at 9:17pm. That’s 4 swifts roosting in the chimney.
Selkirk Mental Health Centre
On August 3, Patti and Dennis did a roost hour watch of T02, from 8:30-9:39pm. They saw 1 entry at 8:42pm, 1 exit at 8:45pm, 1 entry at 8:53pm, 1 exit at 8:55pm, 1 entry at 8:59pm, 1 exit at 9:00pm, 1 entry at 9:02pm, 1 exit at 9:03pm, 1 entry at 9:19pm, 1 exit at 9:21pm, 1 entry at 9:28pm, 2 entries at 9:32pm, and 1 entry at 9:34pm. That’s 4 swifts roosting in the chimney which could indicate fledglings.
On August 6, Tim organized another mini roosting hour blitz of the SMHC sites to try and get more information on the current swift situation. The results were interesting. In Tim’s words, it was “utter swift chaos”.
Fred and Nettie watched T01 from 7:45pm-9:30pm, and saw 1 possible exit at 8:05pm, and 2 entries (9:06pm and 9:18pm). That’s 2 swifts roosting in T01.
Patti and Dennis watched T02 from 8:24pm-9:31pm and saw 1 entry at 8:31pm, 1 entry at 8:32pm, 1 exit at 8:33pm, 1 exit at 8:34pm, 1 entry at 8:48pm, 1 exit at 8:51pm, 1 entry at 9:03pm, and 2 entries at 9:14pm. That’s 3 swifts roosting in T02.
Linda and Nia watched the Yellow Brick chimney and T04 from 8:05pm-9:31pm. At the Yellow Brick chimney, they saw 1 entry/exit around 8:14pm, 2 entries at 8:27pm, 1 exit at 8:28pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:43pm, 1 entry at 8:58pm, 2 entries at 9:04pm, 1 entry/exit at 9:09pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:14pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:17pm, 1 entry at 9:22pm. That’s 5 swifts roosting in the Yellow Brick chimney.
At T04 (which we think fledged almost two weeks ago), they saw 1 entry at 8:07pm, 1 exit at 8:12pm, 1 entry at 8:22pm, 1 exit at 8:24pm, 1 exit at 8:26pm, 1 entry at 8:35pm, 1 entry at 8:42pm, 2 entries at 8:45pm, 1 exit at 8:49pm, 1 exit at 8:52pm, 1 entry at 8:58pm, 1 exit at 8:59pm, 1 entry at 9:05pm, 1 entry at 9:08pm. That’s 4 swifts roosting in T04.
Tim watched the Infirmary chimney and T03 from 8:00pm-9:29pm. At the Infirmary chimney (which we think also fledged almost two weeks ago), there was a lot of activity – 20 entries and 15 exits! Here’s the breakdown: 1 entry/exit around 8:09pm, 2 entries at 8:11pm, 2 exits at 8:12pm, 2 entries at 8:22pm, 2 exits at 8:23pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:28pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:32pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:39pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:49pm, 1 entry at 8:51pm, 1 exit at 8:57pm, 2 entries around 8:58pm, 2 entries at 9:07pm, 2 exits at 9:10pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:11pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:12pm, 1 entry/exit at 9:15pm, 2 entries around 9:17pm, and 1 entry at 9:24pm. Tim mentions that he may have missed an exit at the end because it was quite dark at this point, but there were 4 or 5 swifts roosting in the Infirmary.
At T03, Tim saw 1 entry/exit around 8:11pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:14pm, 1 entry at 8:24pm, 1 exit at 8:29pm, 1 entry at 8:33pm, 1 exit at 8:35pm, and 2 entries at 9:05pm. That’s 2 swifts roosting in T03. The entry/exits early on in the evening seem to indicate that feeding is still happening. If this is the case, fledging should happen very soon!
Tim suspects that the variation in levels of activity and roosting numbers is a combination of the resident adults and fledglings, and early migration.
Lockport
Gerald watched the chimneys at the St Andrews Lock and Dam on August 3 from 8:45pm-9:40pm, with interesting results. So far this year, the swifts have been observed using the south chimney flue. This time, he did not see any entries/exits at the south chimney flue, but he did see 2 entries (9:02pm and 9:09pm) into the north chimney flue! As Gerald pointed out, it may be that the swifts have switched to using the north flue, or that the swifts that were there previously have departed and the swifts that were using the north flue are migrants.
Lower Fort Garry
Gerald monitored at Lower Fort Garry on August 6 from 8:22-9:30pm. At the Men’s House, he saw 1 entry/exit around 8:28pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:30pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:39pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:50pm, 1 entry at 8:56pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:01pm, 1 exit at 9:02pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:09pm, 1 entry at 9:11pm, and 1 entry at 9:15pm. That’s 2 swifts roosting in the chimney.
At the Fur Loft, he saw 1 exit 8:28pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:35pm, 1 entry at 8:40pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:43pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:59pm, 1 entry at 9:01pm, 1 entry/exit at 9:11pm. 1 exit at 9:12pm, 1 entry at 9:20pm and 1 entry at 9:21pm. That’s 3 swifts roosting in the chimney.
Darlingford
Frank watched the Darlingford School Heritage Museum on August 2 from 9:45am-12:10pm. He saw 1 exit at 10:25am, 1 entry at 11:25am, 1 exit at 11:29am, 1 exit at 11:40am, 1 entry at 11:43am, 1 entry at 12:02pm, and 1 exit at 12:03pm. Seems like there is still feeding activity at this site.
Winnipeg
John watched the CMU chimney on August 3 from 3:30pm-5:00pm. He saw 1 entry at 3:31pm, 1 entry at 3:32pm, 1 exit at 3:33pm, 1 exit at 3:34pm, 1 entry at 3:48pm, 1 exit at 3:51pm, 1 entry at 3:54pm, 1 exit at 3:55pm, 1 entry at 4:18pm, 1 exit at 4:20pm, 1 exit at 4:38pm, 1 entry at 4:43pm, and 1 exit at 4:44pm. This activity could indicate that feeding is still going on at this site.
Last week, Nicole and Cain were out for a walk in Wolseley and saw 1 swift enter the chimney at a private residence on Ruby St at 9:00pm, followed by an exit at 9:05pm.
Frank watched the McBeth House on August 7 (blitz day) from 7:10pm-9:30pm. This site has 3 chimneys, one of which is a priority site. While he did not see any swifts use the chimney that is a priority site (the central one), he did see activity at the east chimney – 1 exit at 7:46pm, 1 entry/exit around 7:59pm, 1 exit at 8:25pm, 1 entry at 8:31pm, and 1 entry at 9:03pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). He did mention that at 8:24pm, there was a swift that passed very low over the building which could have been a fast exit from the middle chimney, but he couldn’t tell for sure.
On August 7 (blitz day), Rudolf was stationed at the Northdale Shopping Centre from 8:48pm to 9:25pm. At the Curtis Hotel, he saw 1 entry at 9:05pm and 1 entry at 9:16pm. He did not see any activity at 1010 Brazier.
Breanne has been doing weekly roosting hour watches of the chimney at the Maryland Foodfare. On June 13, she monitored from 8:27pm-10:07pm and saw 1 exit at 8:47pm, 1 entry at 8:54pm, 1 exit 9:04pm, 1 entry at 9:13pm, 1 exit at 9:23pm, 1 entry at 9:40pm, and 1 entry at 9:48pm (2 swifts roosting in chimney). On June 24, she monitored from 8:40pm-10:10pm and saw 1 entry 9:05pm and 1 entry 9:46pm (2 swifts roosting in chimney). On July 3, she monitored from 8:40pm-10:16pm and saw 1 entry at 8:48pm, 1 exit at 8:51pm, and 1 entry at 9:51pm (1 swift roosting in chimney). On July 12, she monitored from 8:30pm-10:10pm and saw 1 entry/exit around 8:47pm, and 1 entry 9:26pm (1 swift roosting in chimney). On July 17, she monitored from 8:30pm-10:00pm and saw 1 entry at 9:48pm and 1 entry at 9:52pm (2 swifts roosting in chimney). On July 24, she monitored from 8:20pm-9:50pm and saw 1 entry at 9:36pm and 1 entry at 9:41pm (2 swifts roosting in chimney). On July 31, she monitored from 8:12pm-9:42pm and saw 2 entries at 9:27pm (2 swifts roosting in chimney). On August 7 (blitz day), she monitored from 8:00pm-9:30pm and saw 1 entry 9:21pm and 1 entry 9:25pm (2 swifts roosting in chimney). It’s hard to say for sure, but judging by the lack of entries/exits prior to roosting, I wonder if there was a nest failure sometime in June but the swifts continued to use the chimney to roost.
Updated Priority Site List (August 9):
Community
Neighbourhood
Address
Site
Observer
Eriksdale
–
16 Railway Ave
St John’s Anglican Church and former Eriksdale Museum
It’s officially August, and there is no shortage of swift action to report. Keep reading for the latest monitoring updates including a new site in Miami, and more fledglings!
We’re going to hold another monitoring night on Wednesday, August 7. This time of year is very interesting for monitoring because of the mix of ongoing nesting attempts, fledglings, and pre-migratory movements. If you are free to monitor on August 7 or another day that week either during the day or the roosting hour, we’d love to know what is going on chimney-side!
A quick note, copied from last week’s blog – throughout these monitoring recaps, in an attempt at brevity, I will often use “entry/exit” as a way of indicating an entry followed by an exit within one or two minutes.
Miami
On July 22, Kevin and Evan discovered a new swift site in Miami! At around 4:02pm, they saw a swift enter a private residence on Kerby Avenue. This is the first confirmed site in Miami.
St Adolphe
Good news coming in from St Adolphe – the Church site has fledged! On July 27, Barb noticed a fledgling in the sky, which she identified by its behaviour in flight. Here’s her description of the sighting: “A lovely slow turn made without wing tilt or changing planes was a giveaway; it was like watching a jet taxi from the landing strip to the docking station – there was no change of wing tilt/angle during the turn. Also, there were a couple of low fliers that made checking the wing margins possible; the adults are still very ragged.”
Last week’s blog post mentioned “The Swarm” – the group of newly-arrived swifts that were wreaking havoc at the Church chimney, while the young were still in the chimney. While monitoring on Sunday, Barb observed only single or double entries/exits, with up to 7 swifts accounted for but no swarming. On Monday, 17 swifts were accounted for, which also supports fledging but can not alone confirm it because swifts are starting to migrate, therefore the rise in swift number could be the arrival of more swifts in town.
More from Barb: “As there is no accessible cleanout trap, the mystery remains as to: clutch size, percent hatched, percent fledged, age specific mortality if some chicks died along the way. However, we can say that for the first time, a successful fledging took place after a premigratory assemblage of local + “from-away” swifts moved into a nest site.”
Winnipeg
Blair has been continuing his monitoring checks around St Boniface. On July 20, Blair watched 261 Youville from 10:37am-11:47am. He saw 1 entry at 10:56am, 1 exit at 11:00am, 1 entry 11:06am, 1 exit at 11:08am, 2 entries at 11:34am, 1 exit 11:37am and 1 exit at 11:46am. Seems like there was feeding ongoing at this site. Blair returned for a roosting hour watch that evening, from 8:52pm to 9:56pm. He saw 1 exit at 8:55pm, 1 exit at 8:57pm, 1 entry at 9:14pm, 1 exit at 9:15pm, 1 entry at 9:17pm, 1 entry at 9:26pm, 1 exit at 9:29pm, and 1 entry at 9:35pm (2 swifts roosting for the night). On July 21, Blair watched 1310 Archibald from 1:47pm-2:47pm. He saw 1 entry/exit at 1:54pm, 1 entry/exit around 2:06pm, 1 entry/exit around 2:13pm, 1 entry/exit at 2:27pm, and 1 entry/exit at 2:44pm. Definitely sounds like feeding behaviour. On July 26, Blair watched 188 St Mary’s Rd from 9:28am-10:28am and saw no swifts at all. On July 27, Blair watched 847 Marion from 9:12am-10:12am and saw no swifts at all there either. On July 28, Blair monitored 690 St Joseph during the roosting hour. At 8:58pm, he saw 8 swifts above the chimney. At 9:17pm, 2 swifts entered. At 9:18pm, 2 more swifts approached the chimney, but they left without going in (possibly because of two birds, likely pigeons, on the chimney). There was one more entry at 9:32pm (3 swifts roosting in the chimney). On July 29, Blair returned to 1310 Archibald St for an evening watch, from 8:40pm-9:30pm. He saw 1 exit at 8:36pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:50pm, and 1 entry at 9:02pm. On July 30, Blair monitored 261 Youville St once again, this time during the evening from 8:34pm-9:40pm. He saw 1 exit at 8:37pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:46pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:05pm, 1 entry at 9:13pm, 1 exit at 9:16pm, 1 entry at 9:27pm, and 1 entry at 9:29pm- feeding likely still ongoing, and 2 birds in the chimney for the night.
John watched the CMU chimney on July 27 from 5:44pm-6:44pm and there was no shortage of excitement. At 5:46pm, he saw 2 of what he described as ‘aborted entries’, swifts dropping low to the chimney and then flying away. At 5:49pm, he saw another aborted entry. There was then 1 entry at 5:53pm, 1 exit at 5:54pm, 1 exit at 5:55pm, 1 entry at 5:56pm, 1 exit at 5:56pm, 3 more aborted entries (at 6:07pm, 6:08pm, and 6:12pm), 1 entry at 6:15pm, 2 exits at 6:16pm, 2 aborted entries around 6:17pm and 1 aborted entry at 6:43pm (at which point 6 swifts were flying overhead). Up to 3 swifts were confirmed using the chimney. It’s hard to know exactly what is going here – the aborted entries could indicate fledglings, or migrating adults that have recently arrived to the area.
On July 27, Garry made another monitoring visit to 722 Watt St, from 10:25-11:25am. There was a lot of action! He saw 1 exit as he was getting out of his car at 10:25am, 1 entry at 10:32am (which he described as “a first awkward aborted attempt and then a successful entry”), and 1 exit at 10:34am. Then around 10:38am-10:40am, he observed “upwards of 16 swifts in the air, various configurations of synchronized flying and directly over the chimney. A couple swooped down night to the chimney but no entry”. At 10:58pm, he saw 1 slow entry followed by 1 exit. Finally, he saw 1 entry at 11:16am. Even with all the chaos around the chimney, it seems feeding is ongoing based on the single entry followed by a single exit, around 4 times within the hour. My guess is that the other swifts flying around and diving are adult swifts that are newly-arrived to the area, though it’s hard to know for sure. This observation reminds me of “the swarm” that Barb has been describing in St Adolphe these past few weeks.
On July 31, while leading an IBA bird walk in Assiniboine Park, our group made a quick stop at the zoo tower. Shortly after arriving, we saw 1 entry around 10am followed by a sneaky exit 2 minutes later.
Portage la Prairie
On July 24, Gordon watched the chimney at the Red River College during the roosting hour. Though he did see 2 swifts in the sky, there was no activity at the chimney.
On July 31, Gordon watched 329 Duke Avenue (former Portage Correctional Centre) during the roosting hour. He saw 1 entry/exit at 8:58pm, 1 entry/exit at 9:09pm, 2 entries at 9:19pm, 1 exit at 9:21pm, and 1 entry at 9:30pm.
Also on July 31, Jana watched a building in Southport that has been used by swifts in the past. She saw 1 entry/exit around 8:40pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:46pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:00pm, and 2 entries around 9:11pm. This site hadn’t been monitored yet this year so it’s great to know that there is a nesting attempt ongoing!
Selkirk Mental Health Centre
In last week’s blog post, we detailed the intensive monitoring efforts taking place at the SMHC which indicated that of the 6 initial nesting attempts on site, 5 of them were still ongoing or complete (fledged).
This past week, these sites were watched during the roosting hour and/or the next day during the daytime. I’ll go through what was seen one site at a time.
T01: We’ll start with T01, which was only watched during the roosting hour. On July 31, Fred and Nettie did a roost hour watch of T01 and saw 1 exit at 8:07pm, 1 entry at 8:28pm, and 1 entry at 9:26pm. Last week we suspected a nest failure, and this week’s observations support that conclusion.
T02: On July 28, Patti and Dennis watched T02 during the roosting hour and saw 1 entry at 8:33pm, 1 entry at 8:34pm, 2 exits at 8:35pm, and 4 entries between 9:18pm and 9:37pm. The count of four roosting in the chimney could be an indication of fledging. On August 1, Evan watched T02 from 10:30am-11:30am, and saw 1 entry at 11:10am and 1 entry at 11:18am. He thinks he may have missed exits because he suspects they may have been exiting low towards the opposite side of where he was watching. It’s hard to know if this site is still feeding or has fledged.
T03: Evan watched T03 on August 1 from 9:20am-10:20am. He saw 1 entry at 9:35am, 1 exit at 9:41am, 2 entries at 9:50am, 2 exits at 9:52am, 1 entry at 10:02am, 1 exit at 10:03am, and 1 entry at 10:06am. He mentioned that he likely missed an exit at the end, because he was distracted by a large group of swifts were chasing a merlin around the towers! Based on this data it’s hard to know if this site is still feeding or has fledged.
T04: Linda and Nia did a roost hour watch on July 31, there was 1 exit at 9:00pm, 1 entry at 9:03pm, 1 exit at 9:04pm, and 5 entries between 9:06pm and 9:39pm. Kevin watched this site the next morning from 9:32am to 11:36am. He saw 1 entry/exit around 9:45am, 1 entry at 9:59am, 1 exit at 10:05am, 1 entry at 10:06am, 1 exit at 10:14am, 1 entry/exit around 10:30am, 1 entry/exit around 11:04am, 1 entry at 11:19am, 1 entry/exit around 11:20am, and 1 entry/exit around 11:33am (up to 2 swifts confirmed in the chimney at once). The count of 5 roosting in the chimney supports the presence of fledglings (which seemed to be the case last week as well).
Yellow Brick: Linda and Nia watched this chimney during the roosting hour on July 31. They saw 1 entry at 8:58pm, 1 exit at 8:59pm, 2 entries at 9:00pm, 2 entries at 9:02pm, 1 exit at 9:02pm, 3 entries between 9:15pm and 9:20pm, 1 exit at 9:25pm and 1 entry at 9:37pm. 6 swifts were in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour, which could be an indication of fledging at this site. The next day, Kevin watched from 9:32am-11:36am, Kevin saw 2 entries at 10:38am, 2 exits at 10:41am, 1 entry/exit around 10:58am, 1 entry/exit around 11:01am, 1 entry/exit around 11:14am, 1 entry/exit around 11:17am, 2 entries at 11:36am, 1 exit at 11:36am and 1 exit at 11:37am (up to 2 swifts confirmed in chimney at once). It’s hard to pinpoint if this site has fledged or if feeding is ongoing. The count of 6 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour could be an indication of fledging at this site, but it’s hard to rule out the the presence of migrant adults.
Infirmary: Evan watched the Infirmary chimney on August 1 from 9:20am-10:20am. He saw 1 entry/exit around 9:32am, and 1 entry/exit around 9:55am. We suspect this site fledged last week.
To recap, we think that T01 has failed, T04 and Infirmary have fledged, and T02, T03 and Yellow Brick are either feeding or fledged. We will be able to find out more when we check the cleanout traps in the fall.
Lower Fort Garry
On July 29, Gerald monitored the Lower Fort Garry chimneys during the roosting hour. At the Men’s House, he saw 1 entry at 8:40pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:59pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:10pm, and 1 entry at 9:23pm (2 swifts in the chimney at the end the roosting hour). At the Fur Loft, there was 1 entry at 9:15pm.
Eriksdale
On July 26, Kevin and Evan stopped in Eriksdale and looked for swifts from 1:20pm-2pm. They did not see any swifts.
Carman
The following is a report from Rhonda, from July 26: “I haven’t heard or seen a swift in Carman for about a week and a half. The skies are quiet. I will continue to monitor for any activity. Maybe the Carman swifts went on vacation? Could they of booked it when the spray planes started to spray the fields? I hear there are “bug” issues in the field crops. Or, heaven forbid, have they capped the chimney? (That one I can check out…) One thing I do know is that I do miss them. They tend to brighten the skies with their cheery chatter. There is still lots of summer left. They may return?” Agreed, they definitely do brighten the skies with their cheery chatter!
Wasagaming (Riding Mountain National Park)
Ellie watched the chimney at 306 Buffalo Dr on July 29 from 9-10pm, but did not see any swifts.
Updated Priority Site List (August 2):
Community
Neighbourhood
Address
Site
Observer
Eriksdale
–
16 Railway Ave
St John’s Anglican Church and former Eriksdale Museum
La Salle
–
27 Beaudry St
Ste Hyacinthe Church
Ron B.
Morden
–
352 Stephen St
Pembina Hills Art Centre
Marvin & Evelyn K.
Swan River
–
518 Main St
Commercial building
The Pas
–
380 Hazelwood Ave
VIA Rail Station
capped
Wasagaming
–
106 Buffalo Dr
Dragonfly Delights Tea Room
Winnipeg
City Centre
100 Adelaide St
Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg
City Centre
172 Edmonton
Ladywood Apartments
Winnipeg
City Centre
222 York Ave
Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg
City Centre
91 Albert St
The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg
Fort Garry
1022 Pembina Hwy
Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
118 Scott St
Apartment
Ron B.
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
141 River Ave
Ludlow Court Apartments
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
245 Bell Ave
Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
260 Wentworth Ave
Lady Wentworth Apartments
Tim P.
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
272 Cockburn St
King George Court
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
280 River Ave
Moxam Court
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
411 Stradbrook Ave
Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
526 Walker Ave
Clarence Court
Tim P.
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
834 Grosvenor Ave
Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge
444 River Ave
Augustine United Church
Winnipeg
North Kildonan
1400 Rothesay St
Chief Peguis Junior High School
Meredith S.
Winnipeg
North Kildonan
25 Valhalla Dr
Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg
North Kildonan
415 Edison Ave
L&B Towers
Capped
Winnipeg
River Heights
1025 Grant Ave
Grant Arms Apartments
Ron B.
Winnipeg
River Heights
465A Lanark St
Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights
465D Lanark St
Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights
555 Lanark St
Lanark Tower
Cam T.
Winnipeg
River Heights
394 Academy Rd
Uptown Lofts
Winnipeg
St Boniface
780 Elizabeth Rd
Arundel Apartments
Winnipeg
St Boniface
790 Elizabeth Rd
Arundel Apartments
Frank M.
Winnipeg
St Boniface
99 Birchdale Ave
Nordale School
Winnipeg
St Vital
531 St Mary’s Rd
Riverside Billiards
Blair R.
Winnipeg
St James
2285 Portage Ave
Foodfare
Winnipeg
St James
2400 Portage Ave
St Paul The Apostle Parish
Donna M., Eugenia G.
Winnipeg
St James
2415 Portage Ave
Essex House (broken pest cage)
Winnipeg
West Broadway
198 Furby St
Harvard Apartments
Ron B.
Winnipeg
West Broadway
39 Balmoral St
Apartment
Winnipeg
West End
318 Home St
Mennonite Church
Winnipeg
West End
803 Erin Street
Elan Designs and Upholstery
Jeff H.
Winnipeg
West Kildonan
31 McBeth St
McBeth House (A) middle chimney
That’s it for this week.
Thank you for all your efforts, past, present and future!
