News and posts

Further to the last blog, Matt in Carman emailed us to report:
‘On Thursday, May 9th at about 1045 hrs, while I was at the Carman Post Office  I heard  then saw two Chimney Swifts circling about 100 feet overhead They drifted  back towards the Memorial Hall site. However,  I did not see them again even though I stopped at the Memorial Hall for about ten minutes to see if they were using the chimney> I suspect they were transient birds as the weather was quite cold and windy, though sunny.’

Jump forward and Barb was back in St Adolphe on Sunday the 12th. She reported with great excitement:
‘First sighting of the season ~3:11 PM = 3 swifts over the Church. A short time later, 2 swifts were seen flying close together over Main St – both with the classic “V” displays.’Back in St Adolphe on lucky Monday the 13th, Barb and Tim watched a swift drop into the chimney on the church at around 2pm, and exit a few minutes later. There were still 3 swifts in town.

All this is gearing us up for the weekends first big roost count. Saturday 18th is number 1, but if you are unable to do it, we would be very happy for any data coming two days either side of it. This will give us an early season idea of where the first swifts are coming to.

–Tim Poole

Sounds like we have a couple of swifts back in Manitoba!

Barbara Barnett reported seeing swifts in Winnipeg on the 9th May. Her report came as the following:
 ‘I am almost certain that I have just watched two Chimney Swifts swooping over the River between the  Osborne Bridge and our condo building for 5 minutes.’  

Ryon Johnson also reported seeing a couple of swifts on Wellington Crescent the previous week. We will keep you posted on more sightings, but now is the time to begin watching the skies, and the chimney tops for the coming swifts!

–Tim Poole

We are going to be hiring a summer student to help out with our programs. The position will be based at the Nature Manitoba office in Winnipeg for 300 hours from May to August and help with our programs (IBA and Chimney Swift).

You can see more details on the IBA website at https://importantbirdareasmb.ca/2019/04/30/we-are-hiring-for-a-summer-student/ and feel free to pass it on to anyone who might be interested and post to social media, etc

Thanks!

Tim Poole

Frank has updated the website with the 2019 National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP) Protocols and our new 2019 datasheets. Here are the direct links:

NRMP protocol https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/NRMP2019.pdf

Monitoring report sheet pdf version https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/datasheet.pdf

Monitoring report sheet Word version https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/datasheet.doc

Ahead of the weekend, here is the latest eBird update. There is certainly a shift on the western edge of Lake Michigan, with more swifts being spotted north of Green Bay. Closer and closer they come!

— Tim Poole

A New Logo

The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative is delighted with our new logo. The design, by Manitoba graphic designer Richard Cain, who also designed our factsheets, will be used on all our outreach materials in the future. Thank you to Richard for coming up with this fantastic design!

Monitoring Update – volunteers still needed

We still have a few gaps on our NRMP monitoring priority list. if you are interested in helping out in Winnipeg (St James, South Osborne, Osborne Village, River Heights, Fort Garry, various in downtown), Neepawa, Souris and Melita, we would love to hear from you. We have some new volunteers lined up in places we have never formally monitored before, so this already promises to be a very exciting year!

We would also love to find some daytime watchers for the new tower in Assiniboine Park. Let us know if you are interested in helping out!

Where are the swifts?

The latest check on eBird has revealed that the swifts are still fast approaching. The latest update from eBird is that the furthest north a swift has been spotted is Montreal, and they have now been spotted in Toronto, Hamilton and Missisauga. Probably of more relevance to us here in Manitoba are the birds in Minnesota. Judging by the number of sightings, swifts are turning up in good numbers in Madison and Milwaukee. 

We are probably about two to three weeks away from seeing swifts in the skies over Manitoba. We cannot wait!

And finally….the tower

It looks like the tower donated in a blog a couple of weeks ago by David Dawson is being rehomed soon. Once it has been taken to its new home, and standing proudly in place, we will update folks on where it is. Thanks to everyone who expressed an interest, and of course to David for donating his handiwork.

Tim Poole

The following is an offer from a long-time chimney observer.

“Hello to fellow Chimney Swift watchers,

My name is David Dawson and I have been checking on the Chimney Swifts in La Broquerie for quite a few years already.  In the early days there were attempts to attract the Chimney Swifts to artificial chimneys, but without success.  I am sure that the reason for the lack of success was that we didn’t understand the mentality of the birds.  I am now convinced that Chimney Swifts are more or less genetically programmed to human habitations, because as they expanded their range over the prairies the only hollow structures were chimneys.  I’m sure the idea that they lived in hollow trees is wrong.  How many hollow trees are you familiar with on the bald prairie?

Over time I have made two artificial chimneys, both unsuccessful, because neither was attached to a building.  I couldn’t find anyone in the town of La Broquerie willing to have a chimney attached to their shed for example, and the school wasn’t interested in having one on their roof.  The nearest place I could find was in the corner of a farmer’s field about a mile from the town that with my new understanding was a totally inappropriate place.  I have given that chimney to Linnea (Tim Poole’s assistant last year) and she has it in Winnipeg attached to a shed.  I’m hopeful of success.

Here’s the thing: I have another chimney half made that I would be willing to give to anyone prepared to finish making it and attach it to a shed or garage in a known Chimney Swift area, such as Winnipeg.  It is 12 feet tall so would need a truck with an 8 foot box to transport it.  On 6 foot legs it would stand 18 feet high, hopefully high enough to attract the birds.  There is a man in Minnesota who has several artificial chimneys and all are occupied.  His first one was attached to his shed, after which his subsequent ones are close by in his yard.

If you are interested, please phone me at 1 204 424 5042

David Dawson”

A quick update on the coming wave of swifts. The latest eBird report has a swift being spotted in Frankin County, Ohio earlier today. Brave bird! Most recent reports do seem to still be concentrated along the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, with some early birds also reaching Arkansas and Kentucky.

Monitoring Priorities – the National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP)

What is the NRMP?

Since 2013, our core volunteer monitoring participatory program has been via the National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP). The NRMP was initiated by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in Quebec. The idea is that volunteers operate across provinces, monitoring roost chimneys on 4 set dates.

According to the methodology, a roost is 4 or more swifts recorded entering a chimney between one hour before sundown, and 30 minutes afterwards. We report these results to ECCC. Although many of our chimneys do not support a roost of 4 swifts, we still encourage volunteers to monitor as their chimneys during this period. The information we are generating from all our chimneys is building up an impressive picture of Chimney Swift distribution and behaviour in Manitoba. This IS critical information, so even if your chimney does not support larger numbers of swifts, your data is still very useful and very, very appreciated by MCSI.

When is it taking place in 2019?

Each monitoring period begins one hour before sundown and end usually 30 minutes afterwards, unless in those rare cases, the swifts remain outside the chimney after this period. In 2019, these dates are set as:

• May 22
• May 26
• May 30
• June 3

As mentioned in our previous blog, MCSI would also like to add a couple of extra monitoring dates if possible, one before the NRMP and one after. Due to the long weekend, our first date would normally be May 18, but we are encouraging flexibility, and for those unable to go out on the weekend, we are saying May 16 or 17. The final MCSI extra night is four days after the NRMP on June 7.

Priority Sites for 2019

We are trying to encourage as much participation in the program as possible. Therefore, we have selected a list of priority sites across towns and cities in Manitoba. Our aim is, to within reason, to encourage monitoring at these sites on all 4 evenings. Obviously in some places, Melita and Souris stand out, we might not be able to do this, but we are ambitious to try! In the list below, those sites underlined and italicised did not receive regular NRMP monitoring in 2018. Our aim is to get someone to fill these gaps. For those who volunteered in 2018, our sincere thanks, and we will be in touch soon about prospects for 2019. In the meantime, if you are looking for a roost site to monitor, then take a look below. If you do not live near one of these sites, contact us, and we will identify a site for you to monitor.

Brandon
Orange Block

Carman
Carman Memorial Hall

Dauphin
213 Main Street

La Broquerie
Paroisse Saint Joachim

Otterburne
Providence College

Melita
Antler Historical Museum

Morden
Lucky’s Chinese Restaurant

Portage la Prairie
Trinity United Church

Selkirk
Mental Health Centre, large stack

Souris
Murphy’s: An Irish Legacy (94 1st Street South)
St Paul’s United Church

St Francois Xavier
St Francois Xavier Catholic Church

St Jean-Baptiste
Paroisse Catholique St-J-B

Steinbach
Bethesda Hospital

Stonewall
Main Street Site

Wasagaming
RMNP Visitor Centre

Winnipeg – Downtown
303 Assiniboine Avenue

Winnipeg – Fort Garry
Pembina Flag Shop

Winnipeg – Fort Rouge
915 Corydon

Winnipeg – River Heights
378 Academy

Winnipeg – St Boniface
690 St Joseph Street

Winnipeg – St James
Assiniboine School
Moorgate Apartments, 2187 Portage Avenue
New Silver Heights, Portage Avenue
St Ann’s Church, Hampton Street

Winnipeg – St Norbert
St Norbert Catholic Church
St Norbert Behavioural Health Centre

What happened in 2018?

In 2019, MCSI will continue to support this program. In 2018, we did so by monitoring 68 sites in 16 communities in Manitoba, a phenomenal effort! You can look at our results at https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/NRMP20132018.pdf.

It would be amazing if we can keep the level of monitoring up in 2019. So please let us know if you are willing to take on a new site, and we will find a suitable site for you!

— Tim Poole

Announcing Dates For MCSI Monitoring in 2019!

We are now almost two months from the long-awaited arrival of our favourite chimney dwellers (Santa inclusive). There has been much happening behind the scenes with MCSI. Most importantly ahead of May, we wanted to make sure everyone has some important dates in their diaries for the coming season.

National Roost Monitoring Program

MCSI will once again be participating in this monitoring program with other provinces in Canada. There will be four nights, and monitoring begins one hour ahead of sundown, and ends 30 minutes after sundown. We will, in the coming weeks, produce a priority list of sites to cover, mainly to make sure all the larger roosts are counted each night. The dates selected for 2019 are:

• May 22
• May 26
• May 30
• June 3

MCSI Additional Roost Monitoring

As with previous years, we encourage everyone to start monitoring their chimney whenever they can. We have added two more official nights. The first is a bit unusual in that there is a choice of options. May 18 would be our first option. However, this is the Saturday of the long weekend, and people like to go away! So, if you are unable to monitor on May 18, but would still like to participate, we are encouraging you to go out on May 16 or 17.

The final MCSI extra night is four days after the NRMP on June 7. We will also do a final public roost gathering on June 11. This is usually at Assiniboine School, but we may do something different in 2019. Watch this space!

Wednesday Night is Swift Night!

Following the official roost nights, we had great success and support in 2018 from volunteers, mainly on the Wednesday night monitoring. We will continue this in 2019!

More Places to Find Swifts

In 2018, we found swifts in 7 new places in Manitoba. We need to follow up on some of these, as we found swifts but either only have one record of a swift entering a chimney, or in some cases, we have still to find an active nest or roost site. These places are:

• Baldur
• Birtle
• Dominion City (we had one confirmed site, but a spare pair of swifts in 2018)
• Emerson
• Eriksdale
• Neepawa
• Pilot Mound

We also have found swifts in a number of other places over the years, but we are looking information on whether there are swifts now. These places include:

• Manitou
• Powerview-Pine Falls
• St Anne

Finally, we have some strong possibilities, some visited in 2018 but with no swift sightings, but which we would like to follow-up, and some which were suggested by the original computer modelling which gave us some of the other places. These include:

• Vita
• Crystal City
• Dunrea
• Ninette
• Killarney
• Virden
• Gilbert Plains
• McCreary
• Swan River
• Gladstone
• Benito

This is just some thoughts of places to look, and we will be coming back to this asking whether there are volunteers willing to spend time watching for swifts. However, if you have other suggestions, we are all ears, and open to ideas!

Where are the swifts?

Lastly, a question came to us just two days ago about the latest swift comings and goings on eBird. The current year map is reproduced below for Chimney Swifts. As you can see, there was a record from Florida, this being of three birds on February 20^th. This looks as though it was a very early record and while we are not disputing this, it probably does not reflect the current state of migrating swifts. More pertinently, is the record of 30 birds on March 4^th, recorded at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre. From what we know of winter range, this suggests we have some larger groups of swifts on the move! A second record of 121 swifts was recorded on February 21 in Panama (the red flag below the highlighted one).

Following over 400 monitoring visits, we have uploaded the final summary results to the website. We can still update this with any further monitoring results – so please, send them in if you have them! Mistakes can be made with data entry, so please check your data to make sure it is properly represented.

Following the same pattern used in the past few years, we have produced two separate documents. The first of these is a summary of the National Roost Monitoring Program results from May and June. The summary statistics demonstrate that we reached more communities, more sites, and recruited more volunteers than ever before in 2018. Well done everyone!
https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/2014_18_database_2018.pdf

It would be impossible to watch over 150 chimneys during the NRMP period, even with the dedicated volunteers we have. Likewise though we were able to watch more chimneys than ever this summer, in more communities, with even more volunteers, a superb achievement. The roost and nesting database covers every chimney that was watched during the summer of 2018. We have added lines for towns where Chimney Swifts were seen, but no occupied site was identified, including Baldur, Birtle, Emerson and Pilot Mound. We added a site for Neepawa where we are pretty sure a breeding pair was resident, but we need confirmation. This is to say, we still need more sleuthing in 2019, to work out where these birds are breeding. Overall, there were 100 volunteers sending in data this year – another record!
https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/NRMP20132018.pdf

The final piece of the jigsaw for 2018 has already been publicised on our website, but for anyone who has not see the St Adolphe nesting summary, here it is again.
https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/stadolphe_2018.pdf

Finally, as we come close to the end of the year, a time when people begin to consider whether to donate to charities, we are asking for the first time, that people consider donating to MCSI. After over 10 years, we are currently in a funding squeeze, reaching the end of our current Environment and Climate Change grant in March 2019. We will continue to explore new avenues for grants, but in the meantime, we have added an option to the website (on the left sidebar or at the bottom of this page) to make a donation to MCSI.

If you click the donate button, you choose the amount of your donation. You do not need a PayPal account to use the donation feature. Any funds raised will go toward keeping the MCSI monitoring, outreach and restoration continuing in the future.

Tax receipts will be provided by Nature Manitoba, and “Nature Manitoba” will show up as the recipient of your credit card payment.