News and posts

• From Ken in Wasagaming comes news that 1 swift was flying around the Riding Mountain National Park Visitor Centre but no entries were observed; the previous night, 8 swifts were overhead.
• In Selkirk, the monitoring squad had 1 entry in the Merchant’s Hotel; 6 swifts entered the Red Brick Chimney and 8 others disappeared in a “descent” trajectory nearby (another Harry Potter-esque moment!); 32 birds entered the Tall Stack; and 2 swifts roosted in the Yellow Brick Chimney. 

• In La Broquerie, David saw an exit from the church chimney at 8:21 PM = daytime use; it is possible that nest building is underway; a pair roosted for the night.
• In Portage, Gord saw a larger group size of 9 swifts soaring about; 2 entered the chimney at the Women’s Jail; rain descended before the roosting hour closed.
• In Selkirk, Ruby & Co. had 50 roosting swifts (an increase of 18 birds from NRMP-2) in the Tall Chimney and 2 in each of the Yellow and Red Brick chimneys (sounds like lyrics to a great song are embedded in those sites). 
• In Carman, it was a frigid night for Matt who saw a couple of swifts on the wing but observed no entries at the Memorial Hall.
• PL and Rob were skunked again at Chancellor’s Hall on the U of M campus but they reported the first sighting of Common Nighthawks. Thanks for hanging in tough there Pl and Rob – those data points of “0” are still valuable to have!
• Other nighthawks were seen on May 28 in La Broquerie, the Kenaston area of Winnipeg (afternoon sighting by Matt), Assiniboine School area, Fort Rouge, and near St. Adolphe. Congratulations to Tim who made his first entry of 4 nighthawks on his life list! Interestingly, on May 29, Lewis had one roosting on his backyard railing (Linden Woods) at 1040 AM!
• Nicole also had no entries at her Fleetwood Apt site but a couple of swifts were on the wing in Wolseley.
• Tim, in Fort Rouge, saw swifts hawking in the area and 2 roosted at the Leisure Centre.

• Christian was in the high reward zone – swifts flew in the corridor around Hampton St. and a pair roosted for the night in the church chimney.
• Bob and Valerie had their pair return to the New Silver Heights Apt.
• Peter, Kathy, and Adolf recorded ~52 swifts entering the Assiniboine School (approximately the same as for NRMP-2); difficult viewing conditions prevented confirmation of entries into two other sites.

• Luc, in St Jean Baptiste, had 4 swifts in the church chimney
• Ken saw 2 in the air near the Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP) Visitor Centre, Wasagaming
• Rudolf had 4 swifts over the Northdale Shopping Centre, East Kildonan (Winnipeg)

• Carolyn, in the Hampton St. area, St. James (Winnipeg) on May 21
• Blaire, St Norbert (Winnipeg), on May 22
• Margaret and Millie, in Brandon
• Rudolf who saw a group of “6 swifts tearing around Wellington Crescent and Oak” on May 26

​ Sunday, May 24 was a glory day – sundrenched and warm (maybe even downright hot at 28 C south of Winnipeg). Here are the early reports

:

• In Carman, Rhonda saw 2 chsw but did not have entries at the Elementary School (1 had entered on NRMP-1). Matt had 0 sightings while monitoring the Memorial Hall which has been a historical, migratory roost. Disturbingly, Matt has noted unusual migration characteristics this year: no cliff swallows or night hawks have been seen near the bridge yet and few purple martins are in town. Coupled with the low number of chsw, the insectivores seem to be challenged generally this spring. News flash: 1 swift entered Memorial Hall on Monday May 25th!
• Ken & Jan in Dauphin had a quiet night while a merlin patrolled the area near the chimney. Then, just after sunset, 19 chsw arrived for the night.​
• In St. Adolphe, chsw came in for a few fly-around laps then roosted within 10 min of sunset – we had the same number roosting as for NRMP-1 but had different “loading of sites”: I saw 2 enter Main St.; Kathy and Rob had 2 in the NE Club (the SE Club was occupied Wed.); Jacquie and Frank report a “domestic situation” that may have resulted in 1 in the Church and 1 in Brodeur Bros.; 1 chsw was unaccounted for of the group of 7 seen in town. 
• Gord, in Portage, saw 7 chsw flying about and 2 roosted at the Victoria Church chimney – the first entries noted for 2015.
• David had 3 arrivals for the night at La Broquerie which also was the first occupancy noted for the season.
• Rudolf monitored a chimney swift void – none was seen over Northdale Shopping Centre, East Kildonan (Winnipeg).
• PL and Robert were similarly skunked on the U of Manitoba campus.
• There was a lot action over in St. James though which was reported by David, Anna, Adolf, and Garth : 1 chsw entered the Carillon; 3 entries were seen at Kings – 1 was early at 8:20 and it is possible that an exit was made; the Assiniboine School was again the show stopper with 73-80 swifts roosting! The challenge is to count clusters of swifts e.g., 25 or 45 in a group, all trying to drop into a chimney in a short period. 
• Elsewhere in St. James, Christian had 1 entry at the Hampton St. Church which was less than the 2 reported for NRMP-1.
• Bob and Valerie’s count of 2 in the New Silver Heights Apts is holding steady.
• Tim had 2 swifts roosting in the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre – up 1 from Wed.
• Also in Fort Rouge, Quinn had 3 entries and 1 exit and a Beresford site, while Ian is waiting for a first arrival at a private home (where a few years ago, his brother came home to find a chsw flying about the basement – it had left the chimney through a gap!)
• Swifts landed in the Wolseley neighbourhood: Nicole saw 2 swifts enter the Fleetwood Apt chimney and Colin also had 2 enter the Evanson site

• Tim in Fort Rouge (Winnipeg) had an entry in the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre chimney and ~5 other birds were seen on the wing; Quinn was positioned elsewhere in the neighbourhood and did not see any swifts.
• David, Adolf, and Kathy in St. James (Winnipeg) saw 2 enter the Carillon and a glorious 55  roosted at Assiniboine School (up from 13 seen by Christian on Monday, May 18)
• Valerie and Bob, also in St. James, reported 2 in at New Silver Heights Apt
• Christian, at another St. James site, recorded 2 chimney swifts entering a Hampton St. church chimney
• In the Wolseley neighbourhood of Winnipeg, 6 swifts were on the wing – Stephan, Meagan, and Colin saw 1 entry; Nicole and Cain saw 0 at another site; Marhsall saw 0 at a third site; unfortunately, a fourth site was found to be capped this spring
• PL and Rob had 0 sightings at Chancellor’s Hall, U of M campus in Fort Richmond (Winnipeg)
• Ken and Jan in Dauphin saw their roost numbers increase to 9; one of the swifts had trouble lining itself up on the opening but after several unsuccessful attempts, where it overshot the opening, the swift dropped in = a sign of a migrant who was unfamiliar with the site
• Diann and Cam in Lac Du Bonnet discovered A NEW SITE where 1 swift entered
• Gord in Portage noted 4 swifts were in the downtown area but they did not go into the chimney at Red River College – Victoria school. 
• Rhonda and Matt in Carman reported 1 entry at the Elementary School and although one swift was flying about the Memorial Hall, no entries were seen.
• Frank and Jacquie checked out Otterburne on May 21 and had 5 swifts over Providence College – 1 roosted in the large chimney and 5 roosted in the skinny chimney.
• In St. Adolphe, 2 swifts entered each of the Main St., Church, and SE Club Amical chimneys (2 other sites were unoccupied) and 2 swifts were unaccounted for.
• The Selkirk Squad reported 21 roosting swifts in the tall stack (a traditional roost) but no entries at 3 other sites; some monitors did not see any swifts.
• David in La Broquerie had no sightings of swifts.

“I went for a pedal bike ride this evening passing our roost chimney, I decided to pause as sunset was approaching, heard gulls flying over high and tried to focus on them and a pair of chimney swifts came into view, circled and went down the Dauphin roost chimney right at our sunset (9:03 PM). So, they’re back.”

The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative has Factsheets!

Thanks to a grant from Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk (HSP), MCSI have produced a set of 3 factsheets which are now available for distribution in English and French. These highlight the continued plight of our friendly neighbourhood chimney dwellers and highlights the importance of continued conservation management. Here is a brief description of each factsheet:

Factsheet #1: ‘Chimney Swift: Manitoba’s Flying Cigar’. This describes the ecology, life-cycle, Manitoban range and conservation of the Chimney Swift. Pour la version française, cliquez ici.

Factsheet #2: ‘Are Chimney Swifts Using My Chimney?’ A pertinent question! Descriptions and illustrations tell home and business owners how they might discover if their chimney is a home for Chimney Swifts. Pour la version française, cliquez ici.

Factsheet #3: ‘Become a Chimney Swift Champion’. This gives people a taster of how they might ‘champion’ the conservation of Chimney Swifts as home and business owners and/or volunteers. We will be releasing more information about our new ‘Swift Champion’ program in the coming months, so please watch this space. Pour la version française, cliquez ici.

The factsheets are available either as paper copies or on our website. There are links to the documents on the home and resources pages of the MCSI website. We intend that these can be given to landlords, property owners, school boards, church councils, in fact anyone with a building with Chimney Swifts! Please think if there is anyone you know who might be interested.

If you would like copies to distribute in your local area, please contact our Habitat and Stewardship Outreach Coordinator, Tim Poole at mcsi.outreach@gmail.com.

PS These factsheets involved a huge effort from many people, not just MCSI Steering Committee members. Special thanks must go to Richard Cain who created the design and layout of each individual factsheet and then even created his own original illustration at the top of the 2nd sheet. Diana Teal drafted the text and Luc Blanchette translated it to French. Finally, a number of people donated photos, namely Bruce Di Labio, Christian Artuso, Ken Wainwright, Rob Stewart and Nicole Firlotte.

Confessions from a person of a certain vintage: I loved the morning invitation from the FriendlyGiant to look waaaaay up and visit his castle…perhaps this early conditioning led to the love of staring at the sky around chimney rims. While the refrains from the harp and recorder were sweet, the chittering of chimney swifts is my favourite sound now. Near mid-May, we hope to look up, listen for, and welcome our chimney swifts back to Manitoba. Here is the monitoring plan for 2015…

THE WHAT AND WHY OF IT ALL:
The 2015 MCSI monitoring season will run with two programs (same as for 2014). We start by supporting the National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP); the monitoring data tracks the spring arrival and dispersal of migrating swifts, records peak counts, and provides the basis for subsequent trend analysis. Bird Studies Canada, Ontario Region, then uses the NRMP data to map the results:
http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/NRMPmaps2014.pdf
The NRMP monitoring protocol is posted at: http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/NRMP2015.pdf

The monitoring season continues with our provincial MCSI Roost and Nest Site Monitoring Program. This program tracks the abundance of roosting chimney swifts and the progress of breeding pairs, and their young, at nest sites; fall migration trends also are documented. The provincial monitoring program data supports various MCSI Steering Committee activities e.g., the preparation of “Guidelines for Creating Chimney Swift Nesting or Roosting Chimneys in Manitoba” ( http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/MCSI_artificialstructures2015.pdf ). Tim Poole, our MCSI Habitat Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator, will use your monitoring data to identify needs and deliver programs e.g., the restoration of a deteriorating site or a school visit.
The MCSI Roost and Nest Site Monitoring Program monitoring protocol is posted at:
http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/MCSI_monitoring2015.pdf

WHEN DO WE MONITOR?
The NRMP dates have been set for May 20, 24, 28, and June 2. The MCSI Steering Committee is asking for an extra evening of your valuable time on June 6. In Manitoba, chimney swifts occupy the northwest portion of the summer distribution. Our birds arrive later in the spring compared to areas further south and east. So, the addition of June 6 accommodates the offset date for peak migration in Manitoba.

The monitoring protocol for NRMP differs slightly for May and June.

For May 20, 24, 28:

•     watch the chimneys for the roosting hour = 1/2 hour before to 1/2 hour after sunset;
•     record the time of an entry or exit and the number of chimney swifts seen during the event.

MCSI would like to designate active chimneys as roost or nest sites. We distinguish between roost and nest sites on the basis of chimney swift behaviour. Roost sites are occupied by chimney swifts resting for the night; typically, only entries occur during the roosting hour and then the swifts leave the next morning within 1/2 hour of sunrise. Nest sites are used during the daytime i.e., times outside of the roosting hour (entries) and period of first morning departures (1/2 hour before to 1/2 hour after sunrise). In early June, daytime activity (entries/exits) indicates that breeding adults are nest building. So for the June dates, we are pushing our incredible good luck by asking you for a slightly longer viewing session.

For June 2 and 6:

•     watch the chimneys for an extra 1/2 to 3/4 hour PRIOR to the roosting hour THEN CONTINUE to watch during the roosting hour. You will have a total of 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hour at the chimney side. Keep it convenient – any extra daytime monitoring would be appreciated.
•     record the time of an entry or exit and the number of chimney swifts seen during the event.

Beyond the NRMP and extra MCSI date, any monitoring you do this year would be useful to us. Meeting with other monitors can add to the fun. The Selkirk Squad enjoys regular Monday outings to their sites. Last year, their hard work was rewarded with the discovery of two new active chimneys! Monitoring results from occasional viewing and opportunistic observations are valuable also – we keep track of them all. Tell us about any chimney swifts you see in 2015.

WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE MCSI MONITORING PROGRAMS 
AND WHERE DO WE GO?

Monitors from previous years – please confirm that you will be participating in the 2015 program; we will partner you with last year’s site(s) unless you request a change of location.

New monitors – please self identify your interest and a convenient site will be assigned from our database (http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/2014_sites.pdf).

If you were involved with Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas activities – try to advance your chimney swift observations to the highest breeding evidence category = “confirmed breeding”.

​If you are interested in a field assignment – range into uncharted urban territory and/or quest chimney swifts suspected to be using old growth forests e.g., Mount Agassiz area, Riding Mountain National Park.

HOW DO WE MONITOR?
At your designated sites, make yourself comfortable in a safe location (away from traffic) with an unobstructed view of the chimney rim. You will be focusing on the chimney rim to document chimney swift entries and exits. Chimney swifts can be meteoric in their entry to a chimney and they can be very stealthy with low angle exits –  if you blink you can miss all the action! That is why a buddy system is useful for monitoring. If you need to take a break, your partner can pick up viewing the rim. This is supposed to be a fun exercise in citizen science, so make whatever arrangements you need to personalize the experience.

USE THE MCSI MONITORING REPORT 2015 datasheet for ALL Manitoba monitoring sessions this season i.e., for both programs and at all sites. The datasheet is posted in the Resources section (http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/resources.html) of the MCSI website as a WORD document and also as a pdf: http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/MCSIData_Sheet_2015.pdf

SIT ‘N’ STARE at your chimney rim and RECORD the time of all observed entries/exits and the number of chimney swifts involved. DETAIL WEATHER CONDITIONS at the time of viewing: temperature (the most important for evaluating aerial activity as 13 C is the threshold for flying insects = dinner for our swifts!); wind speed; cloud cover; and precipitation. SUBMIT YOUR FORMS electronically or by mail. This is easier to do than it sounds – we try to follow the KISS approach.

If you are ranging into uncharted urban territory this year, trying to find new sites, start with the historical sections of towns. Old brick chimneys are often associated with churches, schools, post offices, and vintage homes; large stacks on hospitals also seem popular with the swifts. During the daytime, look for small numbers of low flying chimney swifts (often mixed in with purple martins) which have repetitive flight paths low over/around buildings. Try to narrow down candidate chimneys = open, rough-interior sites which are at least 2.5 X 2.5 bricks wide (minimum 14″ X 14″ opening), then follow the stare-down routine to catch an entry/exit event. For larger chimneys which may host a roosting group, try to identify increasing numbers of chimney swifts circling around a chimney just prior to sunset. Wait for the spectacle of the entries – it is often triggered by the first weary swift dropping in for the night; the remaining birds funnel in like water pouring down a drain. Try to count the birds as they drop into the chimney ~ it is a delightful challenge with a large flock, but try your best.

For old growth forest sleuths – you will be famous if you document chimney swift use of a natural tree cavity. None has been reported in Manitoba yet! Try to get a photograph, GPS coordinates, and document the details (date/time/weather conditions etc.) of your amazing discovery.

A vast array of other 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.

Borrowing from an article published in the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas Spring Newsletter seems like a good way to sign off:

“While locating swifts may seem a daunting exercise, incredible rewards are possible. Last summer, we visited Goderich, ON, with birding friends. We were assured that no Chimney Swifts had been found in town by our hosts, local bird club members, and by the owner of the local wild bird supply store. Before we parked our vehicle, my husband chirped “there they are!” from the back seat. Three Chimney Swifts were making break neck flights around the town square, sometimes mixed in with Purple Martins. After a leisurely mid-day reconnaissance for candidate chimneys, we returned to the town square at dusk. By nightfall, a Chimney Swift quietly dropping into a smaller nest site in a private home and a roost of >150 swifts using a larger chimney at a church had been identified! Clearly, Chimney Swifts are to be discovered if an appropriate effort is made to look for them.”

We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best for abundant chimney swift sightings in 2015!

Barb Stewart on behalf of the chimney swift team
 ~ Steering Committee Members: Christian Artuso, Ron Bazin, Neil Butchard, Lewis Cocks, Ken De Smet, Nicole Firlotte, Rob Stewart; Habitat Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator: Tim Poole (mcsi.outreach@gmail.com); and Webmaster: Frank Machovec.

A WARM WELCOME TO TIM POOLE, MCSI HABITAT STEWARDSHIP AND OUTREACH COORDINATOR