It's not raining all the time!

A Friendly Wager
Early this week members of the Selkirk Bird Watchers and 21 observers in Saint Adolphe peered resolutely into the skies to see which group could see more swifts. The prize was a rare Chimney Swift Initiative mug. Everyone saw swifts, but, to make a long story short, the Selkirk folks won  the mug and Saint Adolphe watchers got cookies and a chance to win door prizes.


Swift sightings: This week in review
The Selkirk  crew had swifts at all four chimneys-- including an impressive 47 birds at the large stack. The St. Adoplhe  "group of ten" swifts maintained their presence at the 5 local chimneys.

Some initial reports of activity were received from Winnipeg sites-- swifts were finally noted at an Academy Road apartment and at a well-known private school in Wildwood.

Interestingly, several reports indicated large numbers of swifts which didn't seem to use the nearby "known" chimney. The most curious case came from Carman with 15-20 birds seen, but no apparent visitation to the  roost chimney.

We also had some casual reports of sightings from Winkler, Lower Fort Garry, Main Street and Matheson, and Jubilee and Pembina.


The year-to-date viewing summary may be viewed as a GoogleDoc.

Life On The Edge: A Chimney Swift Webcam
If you'd like a glimpse of some south-of-the-border chimney swift action, or if you crave a break from the CBC Falcon Cams, you might want to check out  Life on the Edge, a live swift feed from New York.

A Bit of Administrivia
I have stepped down as project coordinator, but will  continue as a humble volunteer until the end of this season. So, please keep those reports coming in!

If you would like to volunteer to do some monitoring, there are many nice chimneys to be had!


Frank M.

June 3 Update

More reports have come in, and a few more Winnipeg sites have been monitored. We even received a report of a pair of swifts at Ominnik Marsh in Wasagaming.

The summary results page may be seen at http://bit.ly/MABro1 

We still need volunteers to help with the monitoring effort. If you determine your time commitment, we can supply a suitable site to watch!  Phone 204-798-6275 or email (mbchimneyswift@gmail.com) for more information.

Don't forget our Swift Viewing at Saint Adolphe on Monday night from 8 PM to dusk. There have been ten swifts in the area, and we have a friendly challenge from the Selkirk Bird Watchers' Club to see which group of chimney-gazers sees the greater number of swifts during the evening!

Five Reasons to join us on June 4

SPEND THE ROOST HOUR IN SAINT ADOLPHE  !
Mark your calendars for the evening of Monday, June 4. That's the date for our chimney swift watch at Saint Adolphe. Come out and see are five active chimneys in a small area and check one of our artificial nest structures with its multicolour interpretive signage!.

The swifts should be very active and visible,  and they should return to their chimneys during the so-called  "roost hour" -- a half hour before sunset to a half hour after sunset. Approximately ten swifts have been seen in the area. (Sunset will be around  9:30 P.M.)

TOP FIVE REASONS TO JOIN US...
5. Door prizes (including the chance to take home a rare Chimney Swift mug)!
4. A nice drive along the Red River
3. A chance to interrogate the project coordinator and keen local  monitors
4. The opportumity to take  a look at one of our artificial towers
 -----and (drum roll please!)
5.The chimney swifts themselves--ten swifts expected in five active chimneys!.

So, why not bring a chair and a pair of binoculars and join us after 8:00 PM at the parking lot behind the Church at 392 Main Street in Saint Adolphe? Saint Adolphe is about 20 kilometers south of Winnipeg on Highway 200 (St. Mary’s Road).


For more information, call Frank at 798-6275 or email  mbchimneyswift@gmail.com