THE FIRST SIGHTING OF CHIMNEY SWIFTS IN MANITOBA HAS BEEN REPORTED!
The much anticipated first report of the season has arrived. Congratulations to Garry Budyk who sent in the news! His words follow:
“Chimney Swifts have arrived in Winnipeg. I saw 4 Chimney Swifts at the north end of Bunn’s Creek Pond (at Gateway Rd) this morning. They were twittering and feeding over the pond. Two of them also did a 2-swift chase. With them over the pond were some Barn, Cliff, Tree and Bank Swallows. Also my first Caspian Tern of the year.”
Send us your spring sightings of Chimney Swifts and we will keep updating the birds’ arrival locations.
As a friendly reminder, the monitoring season officially begins with the National Roost Monitoring Program on May 25, 29, June 2 and 6. Our monitoring session for all 4 nights starts 1 hour before sunset and extends to 1/2 hour after sunset.
The 1 1/2 hour monitoring period helps us distinguish between roost and nest sites (breeding pairs make entries/exits during the day in late May to early June as they build nests). It also allows us to explore how Chimney Swifts make their final roosting entry of the day relative to ambient temperatures. The monitoring period includes 1/2 hour of “daytime” observations which seamlessly transition to 1 hour of “roosting hour” observations.
All the best for your season start-up observations, Barb.
