Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative: Bulletin 3 — May 2014
The switch was thrown and the now above-average daily temperatures resulted in a fast hatch of mosquitoes and other insects. The 30+ C temperatures also spawned thunderstorms in the Dauphin and Brandon regions. However, our dedicated monitors prevailed and we have some excellent reports from May 29th, the third of the nationally-coordinated monitoring nights…
In Winnipeg, two exciting developments took place. First, there was a sensational roost at Site no. 6 = 175 Winston Rd; Assiniboine School. Adolf, David, and Peter had 66 swifts roosting for the night! Last year’s count peaked at 8 chimney swifts. For this year’s national blitz nights, David summarized that: “May 21 was pretty quiet. May 25 more birds (20) roosted than at any other time over our years of observing. May 29 unbelievable – 66 birds roosted at Assiniboine School Site #6.” Momentum seems to be building for the roosting mass at this location.
Second, the Old Grace Hospital site, which was saved from demolition by the hard work of Nicole Firlotte and the Wolseley community, has come on-line this year. Three swifts were seen entering the chimney mid-way through the roosting hour.
In St. Adolphe, there were fewer birds about but they were committing to nest sites – 12 swifts roosted and 1 was unaccounted for by the end of the roosting hour (compared to 15 swifts in town on May 25 with only 5 roosting). Significantly, all the nest sites are now claimed. Rob had a wild ride with numerous entries/exits over at Club Amical. After sorting through the data, it was apparent that a pair used the SE Club Amical chimney, although only 1 roosted for the night, and 2 swifts roosted in the NE Club chimney. Jacquie noted that 3 swifts roosted at Brodeur Bros.; Roberta had 2 swifts roosting at the Church; and I had 3 in the Main St. site. We were able to view Brodeur Bros. for about 25 minutes before the roosting hour (I like to think of this as a “robust roosting” session); a pair entered and then left the chimney after a few minutes which indicated that nest building was underway. Sometimes a helper is on-site at nest sites, so we will watch for activity patterns during the day which indicate three birds. Otherwise, the St. Adolphe swifts have a habit of sharing lodging until incubation is well established i.e., the “third” bird from one site in the evening is actually using another site during the daytime with it’s partner. These are the gems that get figured out with multi-site simultaneous monitoring!
Fewer chimney swifts also were reported by Ken in Dauphin – 28 roosted compared to 48 which roosted on May 25. We can’t be sure that the peak roosting number has occurred as there was thunderstorm activity during Thursday evening which may have influenced the bird’s behavior.
In Selkirk, all four sites were covered by Ruby’s volunteers. Roosting totals were: Merchant Hotel = 0; Red Chimney = 7 (10 entries and 3 exits); Yellow Chimney = 0; and Tall Chimney = 49 (up from 36 on May 25). So, the Tall Chimney numbers are still climbing.
Over in La Broquerie, David’s pair came in for the night before sunset. Many other monitors indicated that their chimney swifts also roosted in the first half of the session, some even close to the very start of the roosting hour. Perhaps with the high availability of insects in the air column, the chimney swifts had full stomachs and lots of energy reserves to hang up their feathers early…
Our fourth, and final, national monitoring night is Monday, June 2nd. It may be a very informative evening overall. At the nest sites, if you can muster an extra 15 – 20 minutes, look for entries/exits before the roosting hour. Such “daytime” use is the best indication of nest building in progress. At roost sites, we can compare data between nights to determine when the abundance of chimney swifts peaked. We should all be vigilant for those late fliers who defy the training manual and cruise about after curfew (teenagers perhaps?).
Thanks as usual to the monitors who are developing their neck muscles and exercising their patience while staring at the chimney rims! I look forward to hearing from you after Monday evening.
Happy birding, Barb Stewart
mbchimneyswift@gmail.com