News and posts

Winter has certainly arrived, and today marks the winter solstice. While the winter solstice means that today is the shortest day and longest night of the year, it also represents a hopeful inflection point. The days will now begin to get longer, and before we know it, the birds will begin to make their way back.

With that comforting thought in mind, here are a few swift-related happenings, updates, and newsflashes.

-Barb Stewart, one of our many incredible volunteers, has put together a summary of what happened at the different nest sites in St. Adolphe this past breeding season. You can read it here: Chimney Swift Nest Outcomes in St. Adolphe 2022.

-Interested in learning more about how the use of artificial nesting structures by Chimney Swifts in Manitoba? A fantastic article written by Tim Poole was recently published in the Blue Jay, and details the use of replacement structures at Old Grace Hospital and at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre. The article also delves into how the timing of when these structures are put up can affect how they are used by Swifts. 

You can read Tim’s article (“Possible Effects of Placement Timing on the Use of Replacement Habitat by Chimney Swifts in Manitoba”) in our “Resources and Links” area at this link.

-It is never too late in the summer to find Chimney Swifts. On August 24^th, after receiving a tip from John Weier, Frank Machovec followed up on some sightings at the Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) to try determine what the swifts were up to. The previous week he had watched a very handsome chimney on site but saw no birds entering it. Later, he returned to watch a large round chimney with a round metallic flue showing above. Frank had assumed this huge chimney was capped but gave it a go anyway. Frank reported:

“After no activity for about half an hour, I had an entry by a single CHSW. A bit later there was frantic duo flying very low (and I mean VERY low) around the chimney. Because of nearby trees and the building, I had trouble maintaining visuals on the birds. I witnessed five apparent entries, but I suspect I missed some low exits to the north.”

A new site had been found. Frank shared the information with John Weier, who has some personal connections at CMU. John connected with the building management and managed to get access to the chimney. This was a fascinating chimney. It has a stainless-steel liner at the top. However, when John was able to crawl inside in the fall, he found a spacious interior with brick wall at least up to 25 feet from the ground. At this point it changed to a metal liner for the upper half. The metal liner was about a foot in diameter whereas the chimney at the base was about one metre square.

This was a great find and will be an intriguing site to watch in summer 2023.

-Last but not least, we want to extend another massive THANK YOU to our incredible volunteers. Your time, energy and enthusiasm are incredibly appreciated. We absolutely could not have achieved this successful monitoring season without you. Stay tuned for a summary of the monitoring results in the new year (and please send in any remaining datasheets if you haven’t already).

Happy holidays!

–Marissa

Hello! My name is Marissa Berard (she/her), and I am so excited to get started as the new coordinator for the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI). This program is so important, and I look forward to getting to know all the incredible, dedicated volunteers that allow this program to exist. 

I have had the opportunity to work closely with Chimney Swifts during my time in the Resource Conservation department at Riding Mountain National Park, where I helped coordinate and conduct Chimney Swift and other species at risk monitoring and outreach within the park. I have spent many hours sitting outside the Visitor Centre in Wasagaming, staring at the chimneys and getting puzzled looks from tourists walking by. I can only imagine what thoughts might be crossing their mind… What is that person doing sitting in a lawn chair, staring excitedly at a building? Can she even see anything with all the mosquitoes surrounding her head? I am sure many of you can relate to braving the bugs and the confused bystanders, to look for our Swift friends.

While I certainly love Chimney Swifts, there are other birds that also hold a special place in my heart. While working on my honours thesis with Dr. Gail Davoren at the University of Manitoba, I was fortunate to spend two summers in Newfoundland and help out with a variety of seabird research, including with puffins, razorbills and common murres. I love to volunteer at Delta Marsh Bird Observatory, which has really opened my eyes to the variety of beautiful plumages in the bird world, from sparrows to flycatchers to warblers. That being said, my favourite bird of all-time (though my family and friends would argue that I have several of these), remains the black-capped chickadee. Though a common occurrence, I love the chickadee’s lively heartiness and deeply appreciate their perpetual presence on my cross-country ski outings during our long Manitoba winters, even on the coldest of days. 

A few other non-bird related things about me… In my spare time I love to cross-country ski, do beadwork, play instruments and watch live music. My first language is French, and I am a proud Red River Métis with family ties to Saint-Boniface, Saint-Vital, and several other communities surrounding what is now Winnipeg.

I will be starting in the coordinator role part-time as I transition from Riding Mountain back to Winnipeg, and will start full-time in October. I thank you all for your patience as I get into the swing of things.

Cheers,

• Marissa

END OF AUGUST – START OF SEPTEMBER BLOG: THE END OF OUR CHIMNEY SWIFT SEASON IS THE START OF NEW BEGINNINGS

The end of the 2022 Chimney Swift monitoring season in Manitoba has arrived. MCSI sends out a BIG shoutout of thanks to everyone who participated in various activities this year. Citizen scientists form the all-important base which we build upon. Your monitoring data informs us about roosting activities and breeding behaviour. You help us identify Chimney Swift habitat, so that protection and restoration can take place. By alerting us to emergency situations, we can respond with appropriate rescue action (that duck falling through a nest site will be a memorable highlight for years to come!).

Good news landed this week from Gerald and Jo who were tracking the Men’s House nest site at Lower Fort Garry. Bundling all of their monitoring reports together gives us the indication that fledglings are on the wing! As usual, there were head scratching moments to figure out. Lucky for us that a cleanout trap at the Men’s House chimney should hold the secrets to verify the breeding outcome in this last-to-fledge site.

Chimney Swift shenanigans appear to be experienced by many of us (dare I say universally?). In her Aug. 23^rd report, Winnie Wake recounts a “turnaround analysis” for one of the London, ON, nest sites. Tim, you’re not the only person to have a forehead cleft from dealing with these birds! Here’s what Winnie wrote:

“FSA-SE is a particularly happy surprise. Considered done-for-the-season as a nest chimney a few weeks ago, it has come back to life, with a second nesting attempt! On Aug 16, the report of 7 paired in/outs in 40 mins was interpreted as neighbouring young swifts practising chimney entries. Extra visits (Aug 18, 19 & 20), deeper digging, and photos by Glenn Berry revealed otherwise. Seems that frenzy of ins and outs was carried out by strong fliers and coincided with a very high density of insects flying low around FSA. Parent swifts (photos showed jagged wing edges and bulging throats) were right on the job, grabbing food out of the air and shuttling it into the chimney at top speed. On Aug 23, at least one food delivery was noted and 2 more were observed the next morning. Yet, somehow the wily parents at FSA-SE eluded being counted as in-for-the-night on Aug 23 (perhaps not surprising since their second nest evaded detection during the entire incubation stage!).”

Lastly, but far from least, it is time to extend a warm and hearty greeting to Marissa Berard, our new MCSI Coordinator! Tanshi! Bienvenue! Bienvenidas!

You may have noticed that the MCSI auto-reply to emails changed recently. Marissa will be working 1 day a week now during her transition to fulltime status in early October. After the long weekend, Marissa will reach out and introduce herself to you all.

Thanks again for making the 2022 season such a success. We all look forward to working with Marissa to plan for 2023 – see you at the chimney sites next spring!

• Barb, for the MCSI Steering Committee.

AUGUST 24: Going, Going…have your Chimney Swifts gone?

Today’s blog offers a friendly reminder to head out to the chimney sides tonight, a quick summary of recent trends at nest and roost sites, and several info bits on interesting bird research and reconnaissance.

Today is a Wednesday MCSI Swift Watch Day and you may note a big change at your roost or nest site. Maybe you will see no Chimney Swifts. Sigh. Remember, those valid zero counts – the zip, Nada, nothing to see here folks’ moments – are as important to harvest at the end of the season as they are at the beginning. Departure and arrival dates are all based on seeing no swifts.

Our Manitoba Chimney Swifts are in transition. Most nest sites are now unused during the day after fledglings burst out. However, a few late starting breeders are still feeding non-brooded young (e.g., the Men’s House at Lower Fort Garry where fledging is being tracked by Gerald and Jo). Some roost sites have dramatically dwindled in numbers (e.g., first noted by the Dauphin monitoring crew of Ken, Jan, Pat & Marilyn). I am chasing the St Adolphe flock to find a pre-migratory roost. Many other people in many other locations are continuing the swift quest missions. Thanks for all your efforts!

There is much to do to wrap up the season and it’s not always fun monitoring. Seeing nothing at the season’s end is bittersweet. You don’t want the birds to be caught short if bugs disappear before the last fledglings emerge and after other Chimney Swifts move further south. BUT there is always the pleasure of seeing a swift just one more time…

Moving along to birdy news from afar, there have been interesting issues reported in the media:

Sound experiments capture ‘pernicious’ impact of noise pollution on wildlife https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/what-on-earth-noise-pollution-1.6555253

Even our urban adapted Chimney Swifts have tolerance limits to noise. We have found that the birds are sensitive to loud, random “jackhammering” noises and will avoid using their nest sites during times of noisy nearby construction.

So many birds are in the sky at Ontario’s Long Point right now, they’re showing up on radar https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/roost-ring-long-point-birds-1.6558586

Our Manitoba Chimney Swifts are on the move but not in the numbers that would create “roost rings” (in our dreams!).

Tim has flown over some intriguing information about tracking movements of tagged Chimney Swifts:

MOTUS is an automated radio telemetry tech now being established across North America and established by Birds Canada. Put simply, a network of receiving towers has been set up across the continent (including about 14 in MB) and these receive signals from a radio transmitter deployed on a bird which records the approximate location (usually within 20-30 km of the tower). It does not give fine-scale habitat info but it does tell us where birds migrate. More info at https://motus.org/about/

 A receiving tower was recently established at the Ellice-Archie Community Pasture in early July – the feds are monitoring Bank Swallows and grassland SAR. It turns out that a CHSW tag was pinged at the MOTUS Tower on Ellice-Archie on July 24^th. I guess there’s always a chance there’s a tech mishap but the following is potentially fascinating. The tag was deployed on a swift in Beloeil, QC, near Montreal, on May 19^th. The last detection in QC was at another receiver near Montreal on June 11^th. The bird was not detected again until it turned up in western MB on July 24^th! It was only pinged once here and then it disappeared again before being detected at a tower south of Tampa on August 11^th. This is all publicly available info so thought you would all be interested in hearing about the amazing swift journey.

The details of bird detections are at https://motus.org/data/tagDeploymentDetections?id=38341.

Check out the project page for MOTUS tracking of Chimney Swifts: https://motus.org/data/project?id=195

The general description of the data can be found at: https://motus.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MotusCollaborationPolicy.January2016.pdf .

That’s a wrap for this week. Send your monitoring reports along as we track the final phase of the 2022 season! Things will likely wrap up at most sites by August 31-September 7 (unless our keen-eyed Selkirk Birders spy swifts later in the season again this year).

• Happy Swifting, Barb.

AUGUST 17: WINGS ARE BEING SPREAD…UP, UP, AND AWAY!

This is a very short blog to cover some important ground and airspace…here are the three news items for today:

First, we are flying a BIG shoutout of appreciation to Ariel who finishes her work term with MCSI today! Ariel has been with us for two summer seasons and ably assisted in a variety of work that is essential to keeping our programs running so smoothly. Thanks, Ariel, for being part of our team!

Second, our Manitoba Chimney Swifts have hit an inflection point for end of season activity. Big changes have been observed. Roost sites have reduced numbers e.g., in Dauphin, other more southerly nest sites have emptied post-fledging, and the late fledging sites e.g., SE Club Amical site which had fledglings launch on Sat. Aug. 13^th, were unused during the day today (some roosting activity may continue for a short time yet). So, we are on the home stretch for the ’22 Chimney Swift season.

Third, it’s Wednesday and that means it’s an MCSI Swift Watch Day. Enjoy some of the last encounters with our birds before migration takes place. Keep your monitoring observations flying in and we’ll be sure to let you know when those birds fly out of our Manitoba skies!

• Barb, for the MCSI Steering Committee.

This blog entry will cover data recorded from July 22^nd till the present, covering a little under 3 weeks of monitoring data. 

In Winnipeg, Jacquie and Frank Machovec monitored the site at Transcona Collegiate on July 28^th. They saw multiple entries and exits consistent with 3 swifts using the chimney. On August 1^st, Garry Budyk watched 722 Watt street during the day and saw 3 entries and 2 exits. He wrote that he thought there are most likely two birds in this chimney. On August 3^rd, Blair Reed watched the chimney at Springs Christian Academy both during roosting hour and during the day. In the daytime, he observed3 entries and 2 exits, but admits he may have missed a third exit. In the evening he observed 7 entries and 5 exits, leaving 2 in the chimney at the end of the night. 

Patricia Start monitored the chimney at the Watson Arts Centre in Dauphin on both July 29^th ad July 30th. On the 29^th, she saw 1 entrance and 5 exits, writing in her email that she may have missed additional entries. On the 30^th, she spotted one exit and three entries. After moving to a breezier spot to get away from the heat, she saw 2 more exits.  On August 6^th, Pat monitored the Hong Kong café and saw entries and three exits.

In Brandon, the North Chimney at 1203 Princess was monitored by Sandy Homineck, Louanne Reid Glennis Lewis and Gillian and Gwynn Richards. They monitored on July 27^th and August 3^rd. On the 27^th, 10 entries and exits were observed during the evening with 2 birds in the chimney at the end of the night. On August 3^rd, 12 entries and 9 exits were observed, with 2 confirmed and possibly a 3^rd swift in the chimney.

In Selkirk, Aditya Gandhi was at the Selkirk mental health centre on August 2^nd and 3^rd to watch the courtyard tower and the tall tower during the day. The tall tower had 5 entries and 5 exits. With 1 exit coming after another after only a single entry, indicating 2 birds were using the chimney. At the courtyard tower, Aditya observed 2 entries and 2 exits. Nia Massey and Linda Adie covered some chimneys at the Mental Health centre on July 28^th. Linda watched the powerhouse tower and saw 1 entry. Nia’s chimney quite a bit busier, with 12 entries and 8 exits over the course of the monitoring period. The night ended with 4 swifts in the chimney. On August 3^rd, Nia, Linda and Gerald were all back for more monitoring, along with Robert Hempler and Winona Hook. With many volunteers present, most of the chimneys and towers on the site were monitored that day. Gerald watched the courtyard chimney, which had 8 entries and 6 exits, leaving 2 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roost. Nia and Linda watched both the yellow brick chimney and the stack replacement tower. The yellow brick chimney had 11 entries and 6 exits, with 5 remaining. The replacement tower had 3 entries and 1 exit, leaving 2 in the tower. In the same evening, Robert and Winona watched the infirmary chimney and observed only 2 entries, most likely going in for the evening. Robert Winona and Gerald also had eyes on the “tall tower”. They observed 5 entries and 4 exits, one after another over the period of an hour. 1 remained in the chimney at the end o the monitoring period. 

On July 29^th at Lower Fort Garry, Gerald Machnee watched the new chimney on the Men’s House and observed 3 entries and two exits during at 85-minute monitoring period. At roosting hour, there was 1 swift in the chimney.  More recently, on August 3^rd, Tim Poole visited Lower Fort Garry and watched the new site at the Men’s House. He saw 4 entries and 4 exits in 1 hour, indicating that the swifts were feeding their young. Then, on August 5^th, Gerald Machnee watched the chimney once again and had more activity with 6 entries and 5 exits in the evening.

Thanks to everyone for their continued dedication to monitoring!

“There’s Something Happening Here…What It Is Ain’t Exactly Clear” … (WITH APOLOGIES TO BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD)

Plus, “If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another” … A.K.A. “A New Playbook Script” (WITH FURTHER APOLOGIES TO GILDA RADNER AND ROSEANNE ROSEANNADANA)

And thankfully, Installments from “The Zone of Which We Are Sure” … (WITH NO APOLOGIES AT ALL!)

Since our last update, posted on July 29^th, we’ve had a frenetic phase with our feathered friends. This blog shares a few snippets of what’s gone on. Ariel will follow soon with a more detailed account of all your monitoring activities. There seem to have been three themes playing out – two of which intertwine “Huh?” and “What ARE those birds doing now?” moments. Some lovely reports, of Chimney Swifts playing by the book, have also flown in.

In the land of torment, one of our dedicated monitors played “chase the best chimney viewing location”. Three observation sessions made from different vantage points were valiantly made in order to catch both entries and exits. The swifts were cagey and kept shifting exit trajectories. Here’s an excerpt of what our monitor mused:  

I went Friday afternoon about 1 o’clock and sat across the street to see what I could see. I swear those birds know the colour of my car and know where I am and are messing with my mind. Because this time they exited towards the parking lot away from me. On Wednesday they exited away from me towards the street…I could see the exits quite clearly because without the evergreen tree in front of them – they exited up and out. The problem this time was I missed most of the entrances. I saw five exits and one entrance. So, I decided to go today (Saturday) and I started out by sitting in the parking lot. Once again, the birds exit away from me through the evergreen tree. I managed to spot one exit and three entrances while I was sitting in the parking lot. It was getting very hot so I either had to go home or move and I decided to move across the street, where there was a nice breeze so it was a little more tolerable…I sat there for about 20 minutes once again the birds decided to exit away from me into the parking lot and I did see two exits but no entries in that time.

Clearly, we need an answer to the question du jour “How DO the swifts do that?”.

Continuing with the theme, some St Adolphe swifts seem to have read the same Torment Your Observer-101 playbook. Two adults routinely leave the SE Club Amical chimney by pouring down the far side of the chimney and then ascending on a difficult to see trajectory away from me. They are the most challenging of all the flock to track (that is a very sanitized description).

It is a humbling experience to learn that Chimney Swifts will do what Chimney Swifts do despite our best efforts. What is a recipe for successful viewing one day, may not be the best approach another day. Keep your flexibility high and adjust your viewing location as the swifts adapt to daily conditions e.g., wind. Also, sun glare may be an issue in one spot more than another at different times of the day.

In an entry for the “What’s Happening Here?” chapter, the two fledglings from the NE Club Amical nest site oozed their way into the Church chimney last week (interestingly, it was the same day the more northerly swifts were tormenting their observer). They approached low and close together, almost beak to tail feather, and dropped in right at the rim. This is a new one for me to report – in previous years, fledglings have taken a rest stop in sites that were unused during the current season or in a site that had a failed nesting attempt much earlier in the season. To have fledglings make a pit stop in a non-natal site that had juveniles in the nest was a first. No harm done – the Church young are still on track to fledge in a couple of days.

In an uplifting report that was certainly not a first, Garry monitored his Watt St site and noted the cadence of activity had shifted. The entry and exit tally plus behaviour observations indicated that fledglings were launched! This site has housed several successful breeding attempts over the many years Garry has devoted to chimney side observations.

In other good news, the Selkirk Mental Health Centre chimneys and towers have been well monitored of late. The dedicated Selkirk Birders ~ Gerald, Nia, Linda, Robert, Donna, and Winona ~ plus Tim and his summer students, Aditya and Aynsley, have put in many observation hours. We are pleased to have fledglings at two nest sites…another breeding pair is still very active and we hope to welcome fledglings from that third site soon.

The last bonus round offering for you today combines good news and a reminder that MCSI staff can be valuable first responders to Chimney Swifts in distress. A call came into the Chimney Swift Rescue Line, 204-803-1523, that a nest had slipped – after a duck dropped through the chimney! Amanda flew out to reposition the Chimney Swift juveniles inside the chimney before plugging the escape route (yes, the duck was removed first). Great work Amanda! The next morning, Ariel observed the site and confirmed that the breeding adults were in attendance. Thanks, Ariel, for following up with that important monitoring!

We have a hot link on the home page of the MCSI website which takes you to the CHIMNEY SWIFT RESCUE FACT SHEET

Head to: https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/

Click on: Is there a fallen bird in your chimney fireplace? Immediately call: 204-803-1523

Read and follow the rescue advice: https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/CHSWrescue.pdf

Different action is taken for nestlings and adults. Chimney Swift parents are the BEST caregivers for their young. So, MCSI makes every attempt to reposition fallen nestlings in their natal chimney for continued rearing by their parents. Chimney Swift rehabilitation is extremely challenging. As humans are not as efficient as avian parents, juvenile development lags in captivity. By the time a Manitoba rehab nestling could be released to the wild, the season has typically ended and no Chimney Swifts remain in the province. That is a huge problem for successful migration.

MCSI will rescue adults who have escaped the chimney shaft and are trapped inside buildings. Remember those start of season reminders to close the dampers and seal escape routes? Adults are attracted to light sources and we want to protect them from leaving the chimney through “unauthorized” portals.

Being a Wednesday, today is a day to head out to the chimney sides ~ daytime or roosting hour ~ and observe Chimney Swifts. Feeding is still underway at several sites, fledglings are becoming seasoned fast fliers and are part of the increased head count at other natal sites, and soon we will see some premigratory groupings form at roost sites. The days are noticeably shorter and the morning air has been crisp. The last few weeks of the season are ahead of us. Keep in touch and let us know what your swifts are doing!

• Happy Swifting, Barb.

FIRST-TIME FLIERS ARE ON THE WING!

This is a brief news flash: reports of probable and confirmed fledglings have just landed! Other positive updates from our monitors indicate that more first-time fliers should be welcomed soon…

The Yellow Brick Chimney at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC) was being used actively Thursday night (July 28^th). It is likely that 3 fledglings were tallied in the final roost count of 5 Chimney Swifts. Nia tracked all the fast feathered action. Linda kept her eyes glued to the nearby T4 tower and recorded a valuable datapoint = 1 roosting entry. We’ll talk about what the swifts in those other SMHC towers are doing – later, when we figure it out ourselves!

This morning (July 29^th) at Club Amical in St Adolphe, 3 consecutive exits indicated that at least 1 fledgling from the NE chimney was airborne on Day 29 (right on time!). All the exit paths took the swifts away from me and no wing margins could be seen. However, behaviour observations two lots north, at the Church, indicated that 2 fledglings were flying around together. They were just over the Japanese Maple hedges and roof of the Rectory – flap, flap, flap-glide, flap, flap, flap-glide – moving slowly around without any aerial stunts.

Maybe other fledglings have been sighted during your recent monitoring sessions. Send your datasheets and notes along and we’ll be happy to share the good news!

This week, there have been other reports of very active feeding elsewhere. This includes three of the Dauphin sites which Ken, Jan, Pat & Marilyn monitor. Winona also saw feeding exchanges, before the final roosting entries, at the Merchant’s Hotel in Selkirk on Wed. night (July 27^th). We hope all these sites remain active and the youngsters launch soon.

The next round of fledging in St Adolphe is due Aug. 11-15, with 3 sites staggered at one day intervals. The young are still in the nest, so I check the sites often and particularly after intense rain storms which may cause nest slippage (yes, another 1¾” poured in again this week). So far so good!

The breeding pair at the Men’s House, west chimney, were both accounted for on Tuesday morning when Rob and I flew in for a monitoring session. The activity pattern suggested incubation was still underway though…here’s hoping that those eggs hatch sooner than later.

The record for the latest known successful fledging in Manitoba belongs to the pair of Chimney Swifts using the T4 tower at SMHC last year. First-time fliers launched from that newly constructed tower ~Sept. 5-9^th ( https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/chimney-swift-towers/ ).

It will be interesting to see how our Chimney Swifts fare in August…

Thanks for all your monitoring efforts!

-Barb.

This week’s blog will be a catch-up, and briefly summarize the goings on at sites monitored by volunteers after July 6. In Winnipeg, Saint John’s Cathedral saw activity with one swift entry, observed by Lynnea Parker. In East Kildonan, Garry Budyk observed 2 entrances and 2 exits at 712-Watt Street during morning monitoring, with swifts at this site demonstrating classic brooding behaviour. 2 sites that were observed during this blog period had no activity and are possibly not being used this year. These sites were 2415 Portage Avenue and 935 Main Street. 

Out at Lower Fort Garry, a new swift site had 1 entry and exit. This was observed by Gerald Machnee during a daytime monitoring closer to sunset.  

At Saint Joachim Church in La Broquerie, Frank and Jacquie Machovec observed swifts circling both chimneys at roosting hour and eventually witnessed 3 entries into the small chimney and 1 exit and 2 entries to the large chimney. 

In Dauphin, Ken and Jan Wainwright watched the Hong Kong Café chimney and saw 1 swift exiting and entering the chimney quickly. Later, after sunset, they saw 1 more swift enter, meaning on was off foraging and the other was likely sitting on a nest.  

That’s it for this weeks blog, thanks to all who continue to monitor Chimney sites!

COMINGS AND GOINGS FROM HERE, THERE, & THE ARCHIVES

This week’s blog starts with a summary of recent St Adolphe nest site activity. To provide a long-range geographical comparison, we’ll look at a news flash from London, ON, which also includes roost site intel. A terrific video by Glenn shows just how challenging monitoring at large roost sites can be. The video provides an opportunity to go down memory lane via a re-post of a link to an old blog about counting Chimney Swifts in a photograph.

I also have a couple of other resource links to share.  One link is for an info-rich reference book written by Paul and Georgean Kyle. There is another old blog you can head to for a refresher about moulting. Recognizing moulting in adults is one of the key elements in distinguishing an adult vs a fledgling. The flight behaviour of newly launched fledglings is the other important characteristic to identify Chimney Swifts taking their auspicious first flights. As some fledging dates are approaching, let’s review the past week and look ahead to the exciting developments that will come next week…

Friday, July 15^th was one of those days with developments on both ends of the happiness continuum. Sadly, when I showed up to monitor the Brodeur Bros./Daycare site, the swifts were no-shows. Thursday, there had been no activity over the chimney and I didn’t manage to catch sight of any entries/exits as I cast an eye about during monitoring sessions elsewhere in town. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, a similar lack of activity confirmed that a nest failure had taken place. The Brodeur Bros./Daycare site has an accessible cleanout. In September, after the Chimney Swifts have migrated south, I will be able to look at debris to see if the nest has fallen etc.

Elsewhere in town on Friday, the breeding pairs at the SE Club Amical and Main St nest sites continued to incubate eggs. The NE Club Amical pair were busy feeding non-brooded young on Day 15. All was well.

The happiest development noted on Friday was the hatching of eggs at the Church chimney! So, three different stages of nesting and one apparent nest site failure were evident on one day. That was a wide range of variation in nest site activity.

Within two days of Friday, eggs hatched out at the remaining nest sites. On Saturday, the SE Club Amical pair were feeding young – quite vigorously for Day 1 at a rate of 3 X hour. It was an exceptionally good day generally for local feeding. On Sunday mid-day, the snoop squad did repeat peer ‘n’ veer flyovers of the Main St chimney. In the evening, the homeowner noticed “crazy flying – the birds just kept swooping low over the roof and chimney”. All that action translated into a 2 X hour entry/exit cycle on Monday morning, which confirmed my suspicion that eggs had hatched.

As a recap, hatching day = Day 1 of feeding; the young are brooded for 6-7 days; and the non-brooded young fledge or take their first flight outside the chimney on Day 28-30. The NE Club Amical eggs hatched on July 1, so those young will fledge July 28-30; the eggs at the Church site hatched on July 15, which makes for a fledging date range of August 11-13; the SE Club Amical hatchlings appeared on July 16 and they will fledge August 12-14; and the Main St young emerged on July 17 which makes liftoff outside the chimney between August 13-15. Do you remember that the magic date for the latest known fledging in St Adolphe is August 16^th? This year, all of the breeding Chimney Swifts are coming in just under the wire. Let’s hope conditions and the food supply remain favourable for those juveniles to reach liftoff.

That segues nicely to the Rainmageddon event which hit Manitoba on the day I started to draft this blog. Tuesday July 19^th started with torrential rain and horrendous electrical activity and high winds in many areas of the province. Storms continued in the evening. It is important to check nest sites in the aftermath of such deluges. Continued daytime activity indicates that no nest slippage has occurred and the parents have foraged successfully despite the weather – energy budgets have to be maintained in those voracious youngsters.

There is one last noteworthy developmental milestone to mention. At Day 20-21, the juveniles transfer from the bowl of the nest to the interior wall of the chimney. Wing flapping begins in earnest to strengthen flight muscles. Practice flights up and down the shaft of the chimney take place. All this activity prepares the young swift for its debut flight outside the chimney on Day 28-30. As of this blog’s posting, the NE Club Amical juveniles should be making that transfer.

Now some very interesting observations have flown in from Winnie Wake who, along with Dave & Sandy & Glenn, spearheads the amazing London, ON, Chimney Swift Monitoring Program. Winnie summarizes things best in her July 12^th report:

Another hot, humid, rainless week preceded the Jul 12 counts. The combined tally of 489 was up slightly from Jul 5 (467) …This might be a fluctuation related to inherent imprecision in counting. Or it may reflect movement of swifts among roosts and/or from nest chimneys to roosts. Most swifts continue to be located at four roosts – Huron (151), Hunt’s (127), Phoenix (117) and King’s (64). All except Hunt’s increased in size. Smith Fruit hosted a mini-roost of 13, and 6 chimneys held from 1 to 6 swifts. Very troubling is that 7 of 18 chimneys reported 0 swifts in for the night. It is unprecedented for so many chimneys to be empty this early in the season. The question is why. Possibilities are that swifts in some chimneys retired earlier or later than our monitoring hour, or spent the night elsewhere and will be back next week. Regardless, reduced evening attendance at nest chimneys and intermittent overnight use are not promising signs for successful fledging of young. A more plausible explanation is swifts are abandoning chimneys after nest failure (perhaps due to weather negatively affecting food supply). Early in the season, reports from most sites showed at least some behaviour indicating a possible nesting attempt. During the week or two prior to Jul 12, monitors reported negative or ambiguous nesting evidence at many chimneys. This came at a time when frequency of entries and exits should have been increasing as nests hatched and young needed to be fed.

The situation at a nest site can change on a dime. One day young are being fed and the next day the site may be abandoned. That toggle of site use is important to remember when evaluating data from opportunistic monitoring sessions. Current lack of activity at a site does not necessarily mean a site has been unused previously during the season. However, an indication of daytime activity at a nest site – especially if young are being fed – does reflect a lot of previous site use to get to that stage! This is part of the challenge in documenting chimneys as critical habitat.

Not to leave you roost site monitors out, Winnie also provided a link to a great video posted by Glenn. It was from his July 12^th monitoring session at Hunt’s (a century-old former flour mill); the footage was shot from the ground towards the building top which is six storeys tall. Glenn offered: While at Hunts Warehouse this week, Susan and I saw almost half of the swifts enter in less than one minute. This was not exactly “fireworks”, but “rush hour”. Note: 127 birds came in to roost that night!

Check Glenn’s video out at: https://youtu.be/qu8t3OQcFH4

While nest site monitors are happy to get their “2 in for the night”, monitors counting roosting birds face a very different challenge…Rob wraps it up in an understated comment – “It’s hard, isn’t it?”. I easily dissolve into a puddle of excitement and find counting roosting swifts rather overwhelming. Many folks use a video camera or take footage with a phone etc. to review counts and tally a final number of roosting birds. 

While single photos of Chimney Swifts swirling around a roost can’t capture the total number of roosting birds, they can document what the set-up to the final roosting entries looks like. Years ago, Rob & I were gifted a lovely photo taken at a Kingston, ON, roost site. Rob developed a challenge for folks wanting to try to count Chimney Swifts in the air. Go back down memory lane to our July 27, 2014 blog to see how you fare: https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/counting-chimney-swifts-on-the-wing/ 

If all this swift activity has piqued your curiosity, head to this link Frank has installed on the MCSI Resource & Link page:   https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/resources-and-links/   Then, go down to the section on “Some Books about Chimney Swifts” to find a hot link for the bible on Chimney Swifts written by Paul and Georgean Kyle:

Chimney Swifts: America’s Mysterious Birds above the Fireplace
152 pp., 41 color photos., 4 b&w photos., 28 line drawings., Map. Pub Date: 2005

The Kyle’s natural history book covers the historical investigations of breeding swifts using artificial towers (in the US), various flight behaviours, vocalizations, and descriptions of breeding activities etc. The book is enriched with drawings and photographs.

Now for a recent and important observation. On a beautiful sunny day last week, with just the perfect backlighting of low and slow-flying Chimney Swifts overhead at the Church, I saw the first moulting adult of the season.

Moulting does not render Chimney Swifts incapable of flight – they must continue to be airborne to harvest insects from the air column. Yet another trip back in time will land you at the July 15, 2015 blog which details plumage replacement. Some stunning photos by Dave Lavigne give you a terrific visual of what adult trailing wing margins look like during the different phases of the moult. https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/july-update-field-identification-of-adult-chimney-swifts-in-the-summer-range/

It is important to get a handle on how adults fly generally and how their wing margins change with moulting. Next week we will welcome some new fliers to the Manitoba airspace as fledglings start popping out of nest sites. As there are fundamental differences between adult and fledgling flight behaviour and wing margins, here’s a segment from the 2015 blog to explain it:

“For monitors in Manitoba, moult characteristics become an important way to distinguish fledglings from adults. Most fledging takes place toward the end of July and into the first week of August, and it is useful to identify juveniles to help estimate nesting success. The flight of newly fledged chimney swifts is characterized by: flying at low altitudes, rapid wing beats for slow air speed, large banking turns, and, occasionally, difficult entries to chimneys (yes, they do miss the opening and tumble down the outside face!). However, within several days post-fledging, young swifts are proficient fliers and they are not easy to distinguish from adults based on flight competency alone. So how do you distinguish juveniles vs. adults? The best way is to look for evidence of moulting on the trailing wing margins. Juveniles will have intact margins while adults will have discontinuities and gaps due to worn and missing feathers.”

Now, the range of estimated fledging dates in St Adolphe is very protracted this year ~ the estimates range from July 28-30 (NE Club Amical) to August 11-13 (Church), August 12-14 (SE Club Amical), and August 13-15 (Main St). The clump of 3 mid-August dates for possible fledging is the biggest and latest since monitoring began in 2007.  How do you think your nest sites fit into this range of estimated fledging dates?

That’s a wrap for this week. Keep your monitoring sheets flying in and Ariel, our summer student, will sort through them and enter your all-important observations into our database. Thanks for helping us help our Chimney Swifts through our various MCSI conservation efforts!

— Barb Stewart, for the other MCSI Steering Committee members: Christian Artuso (Co-Chair), Tim Poole (Co-Chair), Frank Machovec (Webmaster), Lewis Cocks (Founding Father of MCSI), Ron Bazin, Neil Butchard, Ken DeSmet, Jack Dubois, Nicole Firlotte, Rob Stewart, Joanne Tuckwell, and Ashleigh Westphal