It’s officially August, and there is no shortage of swift action to report. Keep reading for the latest monitoring updates including a new site in Miami, and more fledglings!
We’re going to hold another monitoring night on Wednesday, August 7. This time of year is very interesting for monitoring because of the mix of ongoing nesting attempts, fledglings, and pre-migratory movements. If you are free to monitor on August 7 or another day that week either during the day or the roosting hour, we’d love to know what is going on chimney-side!
A quick note, copied from last week’s blog – throughout these monitoring recaps, in an attempt at brevity, I will often use “entry/exit” as a way of indicating an entry followed by an exit within one or two minutes.
Miami
On July 22, Kevin and Evan discovered a new swift site in Miami! At around 4:02pm, they saw a swift enter a private residence on Kerby Avenue. This is the first confirmed site in Miami.
St Adolphe
Good news coming in from St Adolphe – the Church site has fledged! On July 27, Barb noticed a fledgling in the sky, which she identified by its behaviour in flight. Here’s her description of the sighting: “A lovely slow turn made without wing tilt or changing planes was a giveaway; it was like watching a jet taxi from the landing strip to the docking station – there was no change of wing tilt/angle during the turn. Also, there were a couple of low fliers that made checking the wing margins possible; the adults are still very ragged.”
Last week’s blog post mentioned “The Swarm” – the group of newly-arrived swifts that were wreaking havoc at the Church chimney, while the young were still in the chimney. While monitoring on Sunday, Barb observed only single or double entries/exits, with up to 7 swifts accounted for but no swarming. On Monday, 17 swifts were accounted for, which also supports fledging but can not alone confirm it because swifts are starting to migrate, therefore the rise in swift number could be the arrival of more swifts in town.
More from Barb: “As there is no accessible cleanout trap, the mystery remains as to: clutch size, percent hatched, percent fledged, age specific mortality if some chicks died along the way. However, we can say that for the first time, a successful fledging took place after a premigratory assemblage of local + “from-away” swifts moved into a nest site.”
Winnipeg
Blair has been continuing his monitoring checks around St Boniface. On July 20, Blair watched 261 Youville from 10:37am-11:47am. He saw 1 entry at 10:56am, 1 exit at 11:00am, 1 entry 11:06am, 1 exit at 11:08am, 2 entries at 11:34am, 1 exit 11:37am and 1 exit at 11:46am. Seems like there was feeding ongoing at this site. Blair returned for a roosting hour watch that evening, from 8:52pm to 9:56pm. He saw 1 exit at 8:55pm, 1 exit at 8:57pm, 1 entry at 9:14pm, 1 exit at 9:15pm, 1 entry at 9:17pm, 1 entry at 9:26pm, 1 exit at 9:29pm, and 1 entry at 9:35pm (2 swifts roosting for the night). On July 21, Blair watched 1310 Archibald from 1:47pm-2:47pm. He saw 1 entry/exit at 1:54pm, 1 entry/exit around 2:06pm, 1 entry/exit around 2:13pm, 1 entry/exit at 2:27pm, and 1 entry/exit at 2:44pm. Definitely sounds like feeding behaviour. On July 26, Blair watched 188 St Mary’s Rd from 9:28am-10:28am and saw no swifts at all. On July 27, Blair watched 847 Marion from 9:12am-10:12am and saw no swifts at all there either. On July 28, Blair monitored 690 St Joseph during the roosting hour. At 8:58pm, he saw 8 swifts above the chimney. At 9:17pm, 2 swifts entered. At 9:18pm, 2 more swifts approached the chimney, but they left without going in (possibly because of two birds, likely pigeons, on the chimney). There was one more entry at 9:32pm (3 swifts roosting in the chimney). On July 29, Blair returned to 1310 Archibald St for an evening watch, from 8:40pm-9:30pm. He saw 1 exit at 8:36pm, 1 entry/exit at 8:50pm, and 1 entry at 9:02pm. On July 30, Blair monitored 261 Youville St once again, this time during the evening from 8:34pm-9:40pm. He saw 1 exit at 8:37pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:46pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:05pm, 1 entry at 9:13pm, 1 exit at 9:16pm, 1 entry at 9:27pm, and 1 entry at 9:29pm- feeding likely still ongoing, and 2 birds in the chimney for the night.
John watched the CMU chimney on July 27 from 5:44pm-6:44pm and there was no shortage of excitement. At 5:46pm, he saw 2 of what he described as ‘aborted entries’, swifts dropping low to the chimney and then flying away. At 5:49pm, he saw another aborted entry. There was then 1 entry at 5:53pm, 1 exit at 5:54pm, 1 exit at 5:55pm, 1 entry at 5:56pm, 1 exit at 5:56pm, 3 more aborted entries (at 6:07pm, 6:08pm, and 6:12pm), 1 entry at 6:15pm, 2 exits at 6:16pm, 2 aborted entries around 6:17pm and 1 aborted entry at 6:43pm (at which point 6 swifts were flying overhead). Up to 3 swifts were confirmed using the chimney. It’s hard to know exactly what is going here – the aborted entries could indicate fledglings, or migrating adults that have recently arrived to the area.
On July 27, Garry made another monitoring visit to 722 Watt St, from 10:25-11:25am. There was a lot of action! He saw 1 exit as he was getting out of his car at 10:25am, 1 entry at 10:32am (which he described as “a first awkward aborted attempt and then a successful entry”), and 1 exit at 10:34am. Then around 10:38am-10:40am, he observed “upwards of 16 swifts in the air, various configurations of synchronized flying and directly over the chimney. A couple swooped down night to the chimney but no entry”. At 10:58pm, he saw 1 slow entry followed by 1 exit. Finally, he saw 1 entry at 11:16am. Even with all the chaos around the chimney, it seems feeding is ongoing based on the single entry followed by a single exit, around 4 times within the hour. My guess is that the other swifts flying around and diving are adult swifts that are newly-arrived to the area, though it’s hard to know for sure. This observation reminds me of “the swarm” that Barb has been describing in St Adolphe these past few weeks.
On July 31, while leading an IBA bird walk in Assiniboine Park, our group made a quick stop at the zoo tower. Shortly after arriving, we saw 1 entry around 10am followed by a sneaky exit 2 minutes later.
Portage la Prairie
On July 24, Gordon watched the chimney at the Red River College during the roosting hour. Though he did see 2 swifts in the sky, there was no activity at the chimney.
On July 31, Gordon watched 329 Duke Avenue (former Portage Correctional Centre) during the roosting hour. He saw 1 entry/exit at 8:58pm, 1 entry/exit at 9:09pm, 2 entries at 9:19pm, 1 exit at 9:21pm, and 1 entry at 9:30pm.
Also on July 31, Jana watched a building in Southport that has been used by swifts in the past. She saw 1 entry/exit around 8:40pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:46pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:00pm, and 2 entries around 9:11pm. This site hadn’t been monitored yet this year so it’s great to know that there is a nesting attempt ongoing!
Selkirk Mental Health Centre
In last week’s blog post, we detailed the intensive monitoring efforts taking place at the SMHC which indicated that of the 6 initial nesting attempts on site, 5 of them were still ongoing or complete (fledged).
This past week, these sites were watched during the roosting hour and/or the next day during the daytime. I’ll go through what was seen one site at a time.
T01: We’ll start with T01, which was only watched during the roosting hour. On July 31, Fred and Nettie did a roost hour watch of T01 and saw 1 exit at 8:07pm, 1 entry at 8:28pm, and 1 entry at 9:26pm. Last week we suspected a nest failure, and this week’s observations support that conclusion.
T02: On July 28, Patti and Dennis watched T02 during the roosting hour and saw 1 entry at 8:33pm, 1 entry at 8:34pm, 2 exits at 8:35pm, and 4 entries between 9:18pm and 9:37pm. The count of four roosting in the chimney could be an indication of fledging. On August 1, Evan watched T02 from 10:30am-11:30am, and saw 1 entry at 11:10am and 1 entry at 11:18am. He thinks he may have missed exits because he suspects they may have been exiting low towards the opposite side of where he was watching. It’s hard to know if this site is still feeding or has fledged.
T03: Evan watched T03 on August 1 from 9:20am-10:20am. He saw 1 entry at 9:35am, 1 exit at 9:41am, 2 entries at 9:50am, 2 exits at 9:52am, 1 entry at 10:02am, 1 exit at 10:03am, and 1 entry at 10:06am. He mentioned that he likely missed an exit at the end, because he was distracted by a large group of swifts were chasing a merlin around the towers! Based on this data it’s hard to know if this site is still feeding or has fledged.
T04: Linda and Nia did a roost hour watch on July 31, there was 1 exit at 9:00pm, 1 entry at 9:03pm, 1 exit at 9:04pm, and 5 entries between 9:06pm and 9:39pm. Kevin watched this site the next morning from 9:32am to 11:36am. He saw 1 entry/exit around 9:45am, 1 entry at 9:59am, 1 exit at 10:05am, 1 entry at 10:06am, 1 exit at 10:14am, 1 entry/exit around 10:30am, 1 entry/exit around 11:04am, 1 entry at 11:19am, 1 entry/exit around 11:20am, and 1 entry/exit around 11:33am (up to 2 swifts confirmed in the chimney at once). The count of 5 roosting in the chimney supports the presence of fledglings (which seemed to be the case last week as well).
Yellow Brick: Linda and Nia watched this chimney during the roosting hour on July 31. They saw 1 entry at 8:58pm, 1 exit at 8:59pm, 2 entries at 9:00pm, 2 entries at 9:02pm, 1 exit at 9:02pm, 3 entries between 9:15pm and 9:20pm, 1 exit at 9:25pm and 1 entry at 9:37pm. 6 swifts were in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour, which could be an indication of fledging at this site. The next day, Kevin watched from 9:32am-11:36am, Kevin saw 2 entries at 10:38am, 2 exits at 10:41am, 1 entry/exit around 10:58am, 1 entry/exit around 11:01am, 1 entry/exit around 11:14am, 1 entry/exit around 11:17am, 2 entries at 11:36am, 1 exit at 11:36am and 1 exit at 11:37am (up to 2 swifts confirmed in chimney at once). It’s hard to pinpoint if this site has fledged or if feeding is ongoing. The count of 6 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour could be an indication of fledging at this site, but it’s hard to rule out the the presence of migrant adults.
Infirmary: Evan watched the Infirmary chimney on August 1 from 9:20am-10:20am. He saw 1 entry/exit around 9:32am, and 1 entry/exit around 9:55am. We suspect this site fledged last week.
To recap, we think that T01 has failed, T04 and Infirmary have fledged, and T02, T03 and Yellow Brick are either feeding or fledged. We will be able to find out more when we check the cleanout traps in the fall.
Lower Fort Garry
On July 29, Gerald monitored the Lower Fort Garry chimneys during the roosting hour. At the Men’s House, he saw 1 entry at 8:40pm, 1 entry/exit around 8:59pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:10pm, and 1 entry at 9:23pm (2 swifts in the chimney at the end the roosting hour). At the Fur Loft, there was 1 entry at 9:15pm.
Eriksdale
On July 26, Kevin and Evan stopped in Eriksdale and looked for swifts from 1:20pm-2pm. They did not see any swifts.
Carman
The following is a report from Rhonda, from July 26: “I haven’t heard or seen a swift in Carman for about a week and a half. The skies are quiet. I will continue to monitor for any activity. Maybe the Carman swifts went on vacation? Could they of booked it when the spray planes started to spray the fields? I hear there are “bug” issues in the field crops. Or, heaven forbid, have they capped the chimney? (That one I can check out…) One thing I do know is that I do miss them. They tend to brighten the skies with their cheery chatter. There is still lots of summer left. They may return?” Agreed, they definitely do brighten the skies with their cheery chatter!
Wasagaming (Riding Mountain National Park)
Ellie watched the chimney at 306 Buffalo Dr on July 29 from 9-10pm, but did not see any swifts.
Updated Priority Site List (August 2):
| Community | Neighbourhood | Address | Site | Observer |
| Eriksdale | – | 16 Railway Ave | St John’s Anglican Church and former Eriksdale Museum | |
| Ron B. | ||||
| Marvin & Evelyn K. | ||||
| Swan River | – | 518 Main St | Commercial building | |
| capped | ||||
| Wasagaming | – | 106 Buffalo Dr | Dragonfly Delights Tea Room | |
| Winnipeg | City Centre | 100 Adelaide St | Immigrant Centre Building | |
| Winnipeg | City Centre | 172 Edmonton | Ladywood Apartments | |
| Winnipeg | City Centre | 222 York Ave | Brink’s Canada | |
| Winnipeg | City Centre | 91 Albert St | The Old Market Autonomous Zone | |
| Winnipeg | Fort Garry | 1022 Pembina Hwy | Cambridge Hotel | |
| Ron B. | ||||
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 141 River Ave | Ludlow Court Apartments | |
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 245 Bell Ave | Children’s Education Funds Inc | |
| Tim P. | ||||
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 272 Cockburn St | King George Court | |
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 280 River Ave | Moxam Court | |
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 411 Stradbrook Ave | Lancaster Apartment | |
| Tim P. | ||||
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 834 Grosvenor Ave | Eugene Apartments | |
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge | 444 River Ave | Augustine United Church | |
| Meredith S. | ||||
| Winnipeg | North Kildonan | 25 Valhalla Dr | Valhalla Gardens | |
| Capped | ||||
| Ron B. | ||||
| Winnipeg | River Heights | 465A Lanark St | Lanark Gardens | |
| Winnipeg | River Heights | 465D Lanark St | Lanark Gardens | |
| Cam T. | ||||
| Winnipeg | River Heights | 394 Academy Rd | Uptown Lofts | |
| Winnipeg | St Boniface | 780 Elizabeth Rd | Arundel Apartments | |
| Frank M. | ||||
| Winnipeg | St Boniface | 99 Birchdale Ave | Nordale School | |
| Blair R. | ||||
| Winnipeg | St James | 2285 Portage Ave | Foodfare | |
| Donna M., Eugenia G. | ||||
| Winnipeg | St James | 2415 Portage Ave | Essex House (broken pest cage) | |
| Ron B. | ||||
| Winnipeg | West Broadway | 39 Balmoral St | Apartment | |
| Winnipeg | West End | 318 Home St | Mennonite Church | |
| Jeff H. | ||||
| Winnipeg | West Kildonan | 31 McBeth St | McBeth House (A) middle chimney |
That’s it for this week.
Thank you for all your efforts, past, present and future!
-Marissa
