News and posts

The second National Monitoring Night, Sunday May 25th, was a cool night again following another rainy day. Maybe we will get out of our long underwear and rain jackets before this Blitz is over. The up and not so down details of an “interesting” evening follow…​

Ken and Jan in Dauphin had 48 swifts roosting and noted many entries after “the magic hour”. This was an increase from the 11 swifts seen on the first national monitoring night.

In St. Adolphe, the upward trend in numbers continued but mystery shrouded our evening. Rob had 1 +2 in at the SE + NE Club Amical chimneys respectively; I had 2 in at Main St.; Jacquie had 0 swifts at Brodeur Bros.; and Frank counted 2 in at the Church. Then “something” happened at the very end of the roosting hour. The Church swifts left after a mob of 8 chsw came screaming by.

About half way through the monitoring period, I saw a flock of what looked like 9 swifts over the Red River. Rob, who was a long block away, saw 8 swifts just at the end of the observation period, as they moved north past Brodeur Bros. and then to the Church. Rob came back to the Church wondering who got all the roosting birds. Nobody did. We had 10 airborne swifts and no idea of where they would overnight.​ ​Also, as we were debriefing during our “congregation” at the Church, a chsw dove into the Church chimney about 15 min. post-roosting hour and then left a short time later!

Ruby and her flock of monitors had 36 swifts roosting in the tall Selkirk chimney, up from 25 the first night. Also, there were 7 entries then 2 exits in the red chimney; 5 swifts were in the site at the end of the roosting hour which left two chimney swifts unaccounted for in a roost site.

Two issues seem certain. First, available nesting territory is not immediately claimed at the onset of the season. Perhaps the 2013 breeding pair at the St. Adolphe Church are dead or late-arriving and the 2014 migrants are trying to sort themselves out for the current nesting season.

Second, we have solid data that chimney swifts may be airborne well after the roosting hour. Therefore, in-site roosting totals may underestimate the total number of birds in the immediate area. Another challenge for the number crunchers…

Elsewhere in Manitoba, David Dawson counted 2 chimney swifts roosting at La Broquerie. Don and Roxie Reimer are still waiting for the first arrivals at the Steinbach hospital. David first discovered that this site was active during last year’s season, so we do not have historical information for the hospital chimney. There is hope though for migrants to appear this week or later in the season.

There can be new arrivals in St. Adolphe during the third week of June. These birds may be late arriving migrants from the south or re-dispersing local swifts that had arrived in May. The same thing may happen elsewhere in Manitoba. So even if sites are empty now, there is a possibility of occupation later. Any additional monitoring of “empty” sites during the third week of June would be appreciated!

Thursday, May 29th is the next target for the national blitz. I expect numbers to build in the roost sites in Selkirk and Dauphin. For other chimneys that may be nest sites, do not give up hope of seeing swifts if they have not been sighted to date. It has been a late spring and as we are at the northern periphery of the distribution range, migrants are still arriving.

The weather is improving to the point that bug smacking on the windshield is occurring at night now and those marvelous mosquitoes are starting to appear. Think of these insects as chimney swift food instead of pesky summer intruders!

I hope you all enjoy some bounty of birds on Thursday night. Another bulletin will be sent out to update you on the developments and trends. Your monitoring efforts are appreciated very much!

Cheers, Barb.
mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

Manitoba News Bulletin for the National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 1 – May 21, 2014:
The early returns are in and there was a lot of empty air space on the chilly Wednesday evening. Matt Dedrick, who coordinates the Carman volunteers, wondered if a new subspecies was indicated: “Chaetura pelagica noseeum”! Many people would agree as no chimney swifts were seen at: two Carman sites; two Clearwater sites; Portage La Prairie; and La Broquerie.

For monitors lucky enough to spot swifts, few birds roosted for the night in the occupied chimneys. The Dauphin roost had 11 swifts and the record high count for the night was at Selkirk where 25 swifts came in.

In St. Adolphe, the five nest sites had varying activity. Empty sites = SE Club Amical and Brodeur Bros.; occupied sites = 2 swifts in at the NE Club Amical chimney; 2 swifts in Main St.; and only 1 at the Church.​

All has changed now that the cold weather system has moved along and brought the first string of clear, warm days (ok, 30 C is just hot). the bug-inspiring heat has created favourable feeding conditions and chimney swifts have been sighted during the daytime now in various locations such as Fort Whyte Alive and East Kildonan in Winnipeg.

Roosting hour sightings have picked up also since Wed. Interestingly, 4 chimney swifts were active in the Carman Memorial Hall site (entries and exits) before 2 roosted for the night on Thursday, May 22nd. Roosting birds were noted again on Friday, May 23rd.

So the daytime sightings and entry/exit behavior indicate that migrants are moving into our area and nesting territory is being established for the season. The invisible swifts seem to have disappeared.

It seems that a global threat of thunderstorms is upon us all for Sunday night, May 25th, which is National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 2. From Dauphin to La Broquerie to Portage to Winnipeg, Environment Canada has the lightning icon embedded in its forecast.

Just a reminder to all monitors that safety comes first and if there is storm activity, we will pass on chimney side viewing. If light or intermittent rain occurs, monitoring can proceed…in fact, the chimney swifts in St. Adolphe have put on amazing feeding shows at the edge of storm fronts.

All the best for your viewing pleasure Sunday night and may the swifts be winging their way to a site near you…

(Our CHSW season started with an opportunity to watch a Kingston, ON roost site over the May long weekend. Thanks to Chris Grooms for steering us to the location and to Frank Machovec who has provided a link to some “phone video” footage Rob took of the 131 swift spectacle – amazing birds!). Click here to see the video.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon, Barb.

(mbchimneyswift@gmail.com)

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Well another Chimney Swift season has come and gone, and we all need to find something else to do during the roost hour!

I would like to thank you all for taking the time to monitor your sites and report your observations. It took dedication– whether your sites were active or vacant and despite a variety of weather conditions.

Let’s not dwell on the lamentable conditions early in the season or swifts which didn’t respect the “roost hour” or “active” chimneys without swifts or sites far removed from Tim Hortons or promising sites spurned by our avian quarry…

 2013 season highlights:

First swifts reported: May 12 (Saint Adolphe)
Last swifts reported: August 26 (Selkirk)

“New” active sites found in Winnipeg (two sites), Steinbach, Lac du Bonnet*, The Pas*
In Lac du Bonnet and The Pas there are reliable daytime reports of swifts and apparent nearby chimneys for roosting, but we don’t yet have documented entries into chimneys.

• 60 sites observed
• Sites monitored with NO swifts observed: 18
• Sites monitored with 1 to 4 swifts observed: 19
• Sites monitored with 5 or more swifts observed: 13
• 7 towers checked

As I’m sure you all recall, the season started with cool and rainy weather and the the later-than-usual return of swifts to many locations. Overall monitoring results were erratic with “normal” seasons in some locations and late-arriving or absent swifts at others. Dauphin saw a record peak number of swifts (121) at its roost site, making one wonder where the “extra” birds came from and where they ended up. The Selkirk roost had off-peak numbers at the main site and increased numbers at a nearby secondary site. The Carman main roost site saw lower than usual visitation, but a one-time spike in numbers at a secondary site.

A few monitoring reports noted that swifts arrived or departed outside the expected “roost hour window,” and this factor suggests that we may have missed a number of entries and exits at some sites. It is possible, then. that some sites  may have erroneously been counted as vacant. Some other reports noted the proximity of many swifts that didn’t enter the expected chimney: this suggests the existence of sites that we have yet to identify.

We participated in a nationally planned four day  monitoring project at selected sites. It turned out the designated dates were too early for many of our swifts, and some sites saw their first swifts on the last day of observation. The cool and wet weather didn’t help either…

As far as our artificial towers are concerned, the less said, the better. The five towers erected by the Chimney Swift Initiative remain vacant, as do two “artificial trees” in the La Broquerie area. To our consternation, towers in Minnesota do attract swifts.

Early in the year, two members of the steering committee for the project attended a Chimney Swift Workshop in Montreal. We made two presentations and met with representatives from various Canadian and American swift projects. Discussions revealed a number of common concerns, and the groundwork has been laid for coordinated monitoring and species recovery efforts.

For your viewing pleasure:
A summary of moniring results is posted on our website, and it outlines peak numbers of swifts seen at sites from 2007 to 2013. Cast your eyes to http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/2013_sites.pdf

The summary of the four-day monitoring results may be seen at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/2013_four_days.pdf

I recently completed the final report in connection with funding received from the provincial Endangered Species and Biodiversity Fund. The narrative part of the report is available on our web site at
http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/ESBF_2013.pdf

As you all know, the cluster of five swift sites in Saint Adolphe is a jewel in the crown for the Chimney Swift Initiative. The 2013 annaual summary of activity in Saint Adolphe may be viewed at
http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/stadolphe_2013.pdf   Special thanks go to the Stewarts for their monitoring and analytical efforts.

In closing, thanks again for your efforts in support of the project!

Frank Machovec

Well, the chimney swift season is drawing to an end. It seems like only yesterday when we were scanning the skies for the arrival of our favourite avian migrants!

Our ” four day viewing experiment” turned out to be disappointing due to poor weather and some late returns of swifts. Later results have been indicated apparent breeding success at  many sites in Winnipeg, Saint Adolphe, Brandon, and La Broquerie. Results in other sites are less than clear, and it’s hard to know if sites are abandoned or being used outside of the “roosting hour” time window. Our “old faithful” roost sites in Selkirk and Dauphin have been, well, faithful.

We have reports from some new sites like Wolseley, the West End, Steinbach, and Lac du Bonnet.

The search for new roost sites has not fared well- no swift activity was detected at a large chimney near Rose Isle (former Leary brickyard) and the large stack at the former Richlu factory in the Point Douglas area.

Although we haven’t pinned down the chimney being used, there are reports of swifts seen in Lac du Bonnet and The Pas. Monitoring reports from the  Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach and Providence College in Otterburne suggest the existence of some unknown sites near the known chimneys.

The results are posted on the website at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/2013_sites.pdf  

So far I have received reports from over 50 sites.

So, many thanks for your reports, and keep ’em coming.

Frank Machovec

What a difference a few weeks makes! Not long ago we were getting wet and fighting hypothermia during our “four-day- protocol” days,  but now. to paraphrase Buster Poindexter (who borrowed Arrow’s song), it’s definitely “Hot Hot Hot!”

With your help, we have data from 51 chimneys, and all but nine have seen swift activity in 2013.

While observations continue, there seem to be a few anomalies such as recently active sites which swifts seem to have abandoned and “old faithful” sites with no swift activity so far..

I  have received reports from three “new” sites In Winnipeg, and we have a daytime report of four northerly swifts in The Pas (almost certainly using the Via Rail Station as a home).

The summary of current sightings is maintained at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/2013_sites.pdf

I continue to check known sites for signs of current activity, and I’m searching for “new” roost sites.

So I urge you to grab a cool beverage and spend a roost hour or two at your favourite sites.Keep those cards and letters (and monitoring reports) coming in!

In addition to our normal monitoring program, we asked volunteers to  monitor key sites on four specific evenings. This “four day protocol” was recommended by the national chimney swift recovery team as an experiment in coordinating national monitoring efforts.

I will pass along any “national” findings when I see them. Now, that I have received all the Manitoban four day reports I’m likely to see, I’ve updated the summary at:
Four day monitoring summary

Data from the four days is reflected in the overall summary as well:  2013 Monitoring summary

(The spreadsheets will be updated as more monitoring reports come in.)

Although it looks like spring is now here, we had some unseasonably cool, wet, and windy weather during some of the four “official” nights. Because of the weather, and to maximize coverage of sites, I have included some data from days immediately before and after the official count days. We also had some variation in coverage at sites due to differences in volunteer effort.

So, what does it all mean (and your interpretation may vary!) ??

The results of the four day monitoring effort seem inconsistent.

• Results from some sites, both urban and rural, suggest “normal” arrival dates and behaviour.

• Results from other sites, again both urban and rural, suggest late migration of chimney swifts. In some cases there were no birds at sites until the final monitoring date, some sites had (and still have) lower than normal numbers. There were some anomalous daytime sightings (like an apparent one-time roosting event  in Carman), and there was a one-time anomalous peak of birds at the Dauphin roost (and where did these birds come from and where were they going?).

One again, it seems apparent that the swifts have not read the book about their expected behaviour and  roosting times.

It is clear, however, that the swifts (and mosquitos) are now here!

So, please continue to check your sites for signs of successful nesting, and to help us identify departure dates at the end of the season. Thanks.

So, what is Frank up to?
I plan to check out some potential “new” sites with the goal of finding  roost sites in the Winnipeg core area (and some rural sites). I will also be checking some known sites that haven’t been visited in 2013.

My daughter will be moving to the Minneapolis area shortly, and I hope to visit a “chimney swift tower farm” in the Twin Cities area. Minnesota has a successful artificial tower program, and it makes one wonder what’s so different about conditions and construction methods south of the border.

 
 A New Chimney Swift Tower

A new  tower has been erected in the La Broquerie area. This “artificial tree,” designed and constructed by volunteer David Dawson, is twelve feet long, made of wood and offers a good internal gripping surface and more elevation above ground than our other towers. The tower, like another one made by Mr. Dawson last year, is the vicinity of a known chimney swift site (St Joachim Church). Let’s hope that the swifts flock to their new digs!

For more information about the project, check the website or drop me a line!

Frank Machovec
mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

We have finally received our first report of chimney swifts in Manitoba!

Barb Stewart reports that two swifts were seen foraging for food on Mother’s Day near the Catholic Church/cemetery in Saint Adolphe. They weren’t seen entering the nearby chimney, though.

I have some unsuccessful monitoring reports from Carman and Winnipeg, but we should have some favourable results soon!

Now that the weather is (hopefully) warming up,you might want to check “your” local site during the roost hour to see if swifts have returned.

Remember that monitoring forms and guidelines are available in the “resources” area of our website at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/resources.html

Should you have any questions or concerns about the 2013 monitoring season, please email or give me a call at 204-798-6275. If you would like to monitor a site of your own, please get in touch!

Our first nationally-coordinated monitoring date is coming up on Wednesday, May 22.

A New Tower goes up in southern Manitoba!

David Dawson has designed and erected another unique “artificial tree” for chimney swifts. The tower has been erected in the vicinity of La Broquerie.

 The tower is about 14 feet tall and is located about 1.4 kilometers from a known active chimney swift nest site.

Time will tell if the swifts take to their new home!