12 December 2014

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING: YOUR TIME MONITORING CHIMNEY SWIFTS!

As we celebrate the holiday season, it is a good time to wrap up the 2014 chimney swift season by posting the provincial monitoring results. As the chimney swifts arrived and started settling in, our MCSI monitors participated in the Four Night National Roost Monitoring Program. Then, over the summer, ongoing MCSI monitoring tracked the activities at various nest and roost sites. Our webmaster, Frank Machovec, has posted files summarizing the results of your monitoring - thanks to everyone for your hard work! We have learned much about chimney swifts in Manitoba this year.

Manitoba monitoring results have been posted on the MCSI web page at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/results.html

The national monitoring program results are being mapped by Bird Studies Canada folks in Ontario. We will have the summary map of distribution/abundance to share with you in the new year. While the chimney swifts winter in the Amazon, we continue to plan for their arrival in Manitoba in 2015. We hope you plan to be part of their season again!

Happy birding, Barb.

31 October 2014

Not so spooky news!

​SPOOKTACULAR NEWS ~ INTRODUCING OUR NEW COORDINATOR


​The MCSI Steering Committee would like to introduce the latest addition to our flock. Diana Teal has joined us as the MCSI Habitat Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator. Coming to the team with experience in environmental studies, urban wildlife, teaching, and outreach activities, Diana is well suited to taking on chimney swift duties in Manitoba. Welcome Diana!

The focus of Diana's work is captured in her title. "Habitat Stewardship" involves protecting roost/nest sites for use by chimney swifts. "Outreach Coordinator" activities will deal with organizing and implementing innovative ways of informing and educating the public about chimney swifts and MCSI activities. Over the next few weeks, Diana will be compiling a list of candidate chimneys that could be refurbished (cleaned, masonry repairs) or restored (uncapped, unlined) to provide habitat to chimney swifts. If you have monitored chimneys for MCSI recently, Diana may be in touch with you regarding the status of your roost/nest site chimney.

If you have any questions or feedback which you would like to provide, Diana may be reached at: mcsi.outreach@gmail.com  As this is a part-time position which has Diana working on Thursdays, there may be a time lag before you receive a reply. We appreciate your patience...

Any general chimney swift inquiries or monitoring questions can still be sent to mbchimneyswift@gmail.com and I will be happy to be in touch with you.

Our 2014 monitoring results will be posted in November. This will include databases for the National Roost Monitoring Program and the MCSI Roost/Nest Site Monitoring Program. Although the chimney swifts have left Manitoba, we are still working on their behalf. We welcome your input!

21 September 2014

GOING, Going...the chimney swifts are gone​!

September 2014: MCSI September Bulletin: 

August ended with another round of severe storms which pummeled many communities and caused local flooding. On August 21, some areas of Winnipeg (Lindenwoods, Tuxedo, and southeast Charleswood), Sanford, and Brunkild had nearly three inches of rain in half an hour. On August 29, two inches of rain in fell in 20 minutes in Steinbach and four inches of rain landed in Niverville over a few hours. In the early hours of August 30, it was 4 C and no insects were in the air in the St. Adolphe area. Frequent, heavy rains and cold temperatures were not ideal conditions to keep migratory chimney swifts lingering in Manitoba.

Not surprisingly, chimney swift numbers dwindled by the end of August as migration continued. At the Assiniboine School roost, David, Adolf, and Peter hoped to see a "September" swift and their diligent monitoring efforts were rewarded, on September 1, by the sighting of 2-3 birds. However, no chimney swifts roosted at the school that night.

The last two Selkirk monitoring reports of the season were interesting reflections of migration. On August 25, Alyssa, Andy, Carol, Gerald, Linda, Ralph, Robert, Ruby, and Virginia noted 29 roosting chimney swifts divided between 3 of 4 monitored sites. On September 1 (the last regular Monday monitoring night of the season), only 1 roosting chimney swift was counted at the Red Brick chimney, although a group of 8 was seen near the Large Chimney.

Enjoyable opportunistic sightings of late August chimney swifts, also seen in low numbers, were reported by Matt in Carman and Rudolf in East Kildonan, Winnipeg. On September 2, Gerald saw a group of at least 10 chimney swifts over the Home Hardware store in Selkirk.

With Gerald's September 2nd observations, and subsequent fast-acting sleuthing, came the exciting discovery of a second new site being used in Selkirk this year. Gerald tracked the swifts to another new chimney near the Selkirk hospital. It is significant to have the number of known occupied sites in the community increase from four to six in one year - great work Selkirk Swifters!

Also, a new nest site was reported in the East Kildonan area of Winnipeg by Rudolf. So, the total number of new sites identified to MCSI this year = 7!

Margaret and Millie had the distinction of closing out the 2014 season with their observations in Brandon. Five roosting birds were seen on September 7 at the Orange Block chimney. Then, the final reported chimney swift entered the same site roost on September 10. Thanks for your season long efforts and long season of monitoring ladies! The challenge is on as to who sees the first chimney swift in the spring of 2015...

Some news from Saint Adoplhe
​With the departure of chimney swifts from their summer range, comes a fall task for me. I look into the cleanout traps of two St. Adolphe nest sites to observe evidence of nesting. Then I estimate breeding success. At the Main St. site, ​which was abandoned during the daytime in July, a clutch of 6 eggs was laid (12 half egg shells were present). Six small carcasses were seen at the bottom of the cleanout trap; no nest was observed. It appears that all the hatchlings died at 1-2 days of age. At the Brodeur Bros. site, all 4 eggs in the clutch hatched but unfortunately, 3 juveniles died before fledging - 1 at ~5 days of age and 2 at ~ 15 days of age; 1 juvenile made it out of the top of the chimney successfully. What happens to cause pre-fledging mortality? Sometimes nestlings fall out of the nest, sometimes food availability is so low (think of those long, rainy days) that starvation ensues, and rarely, hostile activities take place where non-parental adults enter the nest site and disturb the peace. Other unknown factors may play a role too.

The other three nest sites in St. Adolphe do not have accessible chimney cleanout traps so behaviour observations have to be relied on to estimate fledging success. The Church nesting attempt failed in July when the adults abandoned the chimney during the daytime. The SE Club Amical nesting pair also stopped their first attempt in July, then became sporadic users of the chimney again during the daytime - ultimately the nesting attempts were not successful. However, the NE Club Amical chimney swifts fledged 2 juveniles around August 11.

Overall, the 5 known nest sites in St. Adolphe were active; 3 primary nesting attempts failed; 2 nesting attempts were successful; and an estimated 3 fledglings were produced. Such low productivity is one factor to be considered in the assessment of declining populations of chimney swifts in Manitoba.

With the support provided by our legion of volunteer monitors, we have concluded the 2014 monitoring season in Manitoba by contributing to the Four Night National Roost Site Monitoring Program, the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas, and the MCSI roost/nest site database. Over the summer, another group of dedicated volunteers worked behind the scenes for the betterment of chimney swifts in Manitoba.

The MCSI Steering Committee is a collective of people devoted to the stewardship and conservancy of chimney swifts in Manitoba. We develop and manage the MCSI monitoring, research, and outreach programs. We will continue to strive toward creating greater public awareness of this Threatened Species At Risk and developing education material.

The Steering Committee members represent a diverse group - self-employed and retired individuals; employees of the provincial and federal governments, and non-government organizations; biologists, some specializing in species at risk, and research scientists; master birders and dedicated backyard birders etc. Our common denominator, however, is chimney swifts and issues related to the betterment of their populations in Manitoba. Together, our group can accomplish what an individual would not be able to.  For example, we currently are preparing a habitat loss and mitigation policy for use in situations where deconstruction of known chimney swift sites may take place; it will also be a useful resource for building new chimney swift habitat in Manitoba.

Our efforts through the fall of 2014 and winter of 2015 will be aided by much appreciated financial support from Environment Canada's Environmental Damages Fund (EDF). Now we need your continued assistance. The number one task over the next few months is to identify chimney sites - roost or nest - that could be reopened or repaired (using our funds) for chimney swift occupancy. Send your suggestions for site remediation along to us! We hope to staff a coordinator (paid for by EDF) for this work soon.

So on behalf of the other Steering Committee members ~ Christian Artuso, Ron Bazin, Neil Butchard, Lewis Cocks, Ken DeSmet, Nicole Firlotte, and Rob Stewart ~ I would like to send a loud shout-out of THANKS for making 2014 such an accomplished year! We will stay in touch, with the able assistance of webmaster Frank Machovec, and hope to count you in for the 2015 chimney swift monitoring season.

For your viewing pleasure...

If you need to Dream a Little Dream of Chimney Swifts over the "off season" ... click on the following link to view a video taken on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at the Assiniboine School roost chimney. Thanks to Ron Bazin for shooting the original footage, David Wiebe for his editing efforts, and Rob Stewart who methodically counted the 101 chimney swifts who dropped in for the night...
Check the video on YouTube at http://youtu.be/ff065TB8Y7s


All the best 'til next time, Barb.

21 August 2014

UP, UP, AND NEARLY AWAY

 MCSI AUGUST 2014 BULLETIN

These are exciting times in which we live. Especially when we make connections with chimney swifts. Since the beginning of August, chimney swift sightings from far and wide were reported (some for earlier in the season); fledged young were identified on the wing; recent counts at well monitored roost sites indicated that migration was underway; and vigilant monitors reported newly discovered chimney swift nest sites.

Winnipeg sightings
have been robust. Beyond site monitoring, chimney swifts were seen flying over East Kildonan, Norwood Flats, and River Heights (Rudolf); at Assiniboine Park (Ryan; Bill); St. James (Carolyn, Christian, David); and Riverview (Vere). In Lac du Bonnet, chimney swifts flew about Casey's Inn (Peter, Sharon, Diann, Colleen, Anita). In the townsite of Wasagaming, chimney swifts were flying in the vicinity of McTavish's Lodge (Cal, Ken).

Juvenile sightings in August included the East Kildonan (Rudolf), St. James (Christian), and St Norbert areas of Winnipeg (Barb), and St. Adolphe (Barb).

Daytime nest site activity in St. Adolphe has concluded - there have been no daytime entries/exits as of August 17; the local juveniles are now flight worthy for a day of aerial foraging. The Brodeur Bros site swifts fledged July 30-31 and the NE Club Amical juveniles made a supermoon appearance around Monday, August 11. In August, the SE Club Amical activity was on and off and on and off and, well, generally defied categorization; the nesting attempt likely was not successful in the end (I cannot access the chimney cleanout trap which is sealed behind a wall). The SE and NE Club Amical chimneys were occupied for the night of August 16. Three chimney swifts roosted at Brodeur Bros. on August 14 but none entered on August 20. The local chimney swifts are on the move...

Declining roosting hour counts at other sites also indicated that migration was underway. There can be a local redistribution of chimney swifts between nest and larger roost sites in a premigratory phase. Then the southern exodus begins.

The largest roost site in Manitoba this season was at Assiniboine School, Winnipeg, monitored by team leader David, Adolf, Anna, Peter, and various family members/interested individuals. The season peak was 110 chimney swifts on June 2. Counts last month were 75-85 on July 24 and 72 on July 29. This month's roosting totals were 56 on August 4 and 41 on August 11. So, there is a trend to declining numbers of roosting chimney swifts at this site. It will be interesting to watch how the numbers change = a gradual withdrawal or a mass exodus or...? Time will tell.

Up north in Dauphin, Ken and Jan saw 26 swifts enter their site August 10; 27 were counted by another observer on August 15. These numbers are slightly reduced from the 30 swifts seen entering on July 22, but much lower than the peak count of 48 swifts on May 28.

The most exciting news that winged in this month was the discovery of 4 new nest sites for our provincial inventory - interestingly, the sites were all identified within days of each other. A Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas monitor confirmed roosting hour entries at the St. Norbert Behavioural Health Foundation (August 12/13); mid-day August 14, daytime flying behaviour over the building, which involved juveniles, suggested a nest site was successful. Peter had a fortuitous daytime observation of a chimney swift entry/exit at Chancellor Hall on U of Manitoba campus (August 12) - gleaned from the fifth floor of the adjacent library. Carolyn, in St James, had a 5-6 year old mystery (just where do those chimney swifts go?) resolve when, after sunset, she spied chimney swifts dropping into the small chimney at the rear of St. Anne's Catholic Church (August 16); observations made by David and Christian the next evening, ahead of the roosting hour, confirmed a nest site. Last but not least, Crystal contacted us with news that a nest was observed in her St. James chimney. We are fortunate that the cleanout trap can be inspected in September to estimate the number of fledglings from the nesting attempt.

​Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to connect with the skies and look for chimney swift activity. Nature reveals itself to those who are patient enough to wait for the signs. We have been rewarded with ​many new, important developments.

The last bulletin for 2014 will follow in September. Enjoy these last days of chimney swift viewing for the current season!

Happy birding, Barb.

28 July 2014

Summer Update

The transition from June to July was a wicked weather weekend! A massive storm, which settled into the Province, blew in several inches of rain and closed the Winnipeg airport down on June 29 in the process. As a result of cumulative rain related events, the Red River Floodway was operated on July 1 and the flood fighting season began in the Assiniboine River system. Many of our monitors live in flood-impacted areas and we send our best wishes out to you all for a speedy recovery to pre-flood life.

More will follow on avian weather challenges, but first, a review of chimney swift biology will help explain why these birds are vulnerable to extreme weather events. Chimney swifts are obligate aerial insectivores. That mouthful means that in order to eat, chimney swifts have to collect insects out of the air column. Unlike purple martins which can drop to the ground and pick up insects (then themselves) if necessary, the long wings of a chimney swift hinder getting airborne again once they land on flat ground. The clinging-adapted feet of a chimney swift are also of little use to cope with horizontal surfaces and chimney swifts cannot perch on branches or wires to wait for prey items to pass by. Chimney swifts are either up in the air flying or inside their nest/roost sites clinging to a vertical surface.

Back to July issues. The type of wet 'n' windy weather we have experienced over the last month can cause a lot of problems for foraging chimney swifts. If rain is steady over many hours, and especially if it is coupled with strong winds, airborne insects are not concentrated or are washed out of the air column. High heat, humidity, and accompanying strong winds, which we also had in July, can disperse the aerial plankton too. The consequence at a nest site is that a patch of bugs may not be close enough for adults to collect food and return to hatchlings in a timely manner; starvation of the juveniles may ensue. Rain can also loosen the bond between nests and the vertical surface of the chimney which results in nest slippage.

Unfortunately, the St. Adolphe breeding flock has had problems in July. Of the 5 primary nesting attempts which were underway, 3 failed by July 21st. The SE Club Amical, Church, and Main St. residence adults stopped using the chimneys during the daytime but they continued to roost at night. The Southeast Club Amical adults recently started a secondary use of the chimney, but time is now too short for a successful nesting outcome. The NE Club Amical site is still active (feeding non-brooded juveniles) and at the Brodeur Bros. there is often manic activity as 1-2 helpers are assisting the breeding adults feed the young (you can tell how many birds are onsite by the sequence of entries and exits). Our fingers and feathers are crossed for successful fledging from the 2 active sites.

Despite the difficulties elsewhere, good news prevails in Selkirk. Ruby and her diligent group of monitors reported an exciting development in the discovery of a new site. On July 7, chimney swifts were observed entering a chimney on Manitoba Ave (i.e. the main west-to-east one-way street in Selkirk, running between Main St and Eveline Ave)". Congratulations on your sleuthing!

The active group of Selkirk monitors does a weekly Monday night monitoring session. Thanks for all of your hard work Ruby (team leader), Andy, Gerald, Carol, Nia, Ralph, Linda, and Virginia (regular volunteers), plus Sybil, Ray, Robert, Maggie, Barry, Jim, and Dorothy (backup crew)!!!

To the north, Ken and Jan continued to track the Dauphin roost site. The latest count on July 22 was 30 roosting swifts.

In Winnipeg, David, Adolf, Anna, and Peter are still reporting exceptionally high roost counts at Assiniboine School. On July 6, 70 swifts entered for the night and on July 14, 54 roosted.

It's hard to believe that August, which is our wrap-up month, will be upon us so soon. What will the home-stretch involve? For roost sites, expect to see counts peak again - although perhaps not as high as seen in the spring - as swifts group in preparation for migration. Ken notes that counts at his northern Dauphin roost site are the highest by August 6 usually. After fledging, the St. Adolphe birds may set up a local pre-migratory group which reflects the breeding adult population and new recruits that have just fledged. Southern roost sites, such as Selkirk, will have peak numbers later into August as northerly swifts may join in before continuing southward. Small numbers of birds may linger into early September.

At nest sites in August, activity will increase in the daytime prior to fledging. At ~21 days of age, juveniles move from the bowl of the nest to the wall of the chimney. Flight training ensues and the youngsters fly up and down the shaft to prepare for free flight. The adults eventually will lure the juveniles close to the rim of the chimney. Fledging (day 28-30) occurs when the juveniles burst out the top of the chimney and experience the open skies. It is not as romantic as it may sound. Free flying is a slow, follow-the-leader process for the fledglings. Getting back inside home base is not necessarily a pretty sight - the fledglings are led back to their natal chimney and entries can be difficult. There is a lot of fluttery, wing flapping to position over the opening and entry "misses" involve some tumbling down the outer surface of the chimney. Despite the breath-sucking drama, I have never seen a fatal entry event (said with wood-clutching superstition). However, flight proficiency is gained quickly and within 36 hours of fledging it may be difficult to distinguish fledglings from adults unless you see the wings. Adults will be in moult so missing wing feathers reveal gaps, while fledglings have intact wing margins.

The dispersal of chimney swifts from the summer range is linked to many factors. Temperature, photoperiod, food availability, and time of fledging all influence the bird's departure. August monitoring sessions - especially within the first two weeks of the month - will be valuable to track production at nest sites and migration from roost sites.

I enjoy reading about your sightings. We have had excellent coverage throughout the province this season and high quality data has been submitted. Thank you all for your efforts and, as we near season's end, keep your observations winging in!

All the best in birding, Barb.

Barb Stewart
St. Adolphe Monitor & MCSI Steering Committee Member

27 July 2014

COUNTING CHIMNEY SWIFTS ON THE WING

COUNTING CHIMNEY SWIFTS ON THE WING IS EASIER USING AN IMAGE...but it still is challenging!


Chimney swifts up in the air
Chimney swifts seen everywhere

Some wings are up, some wings are down
Bodies tilt as they glide around

Some head toward us, some aim west
All will seek a place to rest

Some birds seem close, some further away
They need a place for a nighttime's stay

Tell me now, how well you fare
Counting chimney swifts up in the air!

Try counting the chimney swifts circling above the chimney as they prepare to roost (top photo). You can check your counts against the "red blips" marked on the lower photo.​


​Many thanks to NICK STEFANO, KINGSTON, ON, for taking this amazing photo of chimney swifts approaching a roost at 318 Westdale Ave, Kingston, On (May 18, 2014). Thanks also to Rob Stewart for applying his "walrus census technique" to counting the birds (Photo B). Both images were posted by Frank Machovec, our much appreciated webmaster.

26 June 2014

MCSI News Flash: wrapping up June and Canada Day beginnings

The summer solstice has just passed so, for another few days, we have the maximum amount of daylight hours to enjoy "chimney swifting". Continued thanks are sent out to all of the volunteers who are diligently monitoring nest and roost sites - through the morning, daytime, and evening.
 
 At the Old Grace Hospital, Nicole reported that a pigeon on the rim of the chimney delayed some entry attempts to roost and kept a couple of swifts on the wing past curfew. David and Adolf had issues with a crow on the rim of Assiniboine School, ~ 0530 H, which may have disrupted the departure of roosting birds (well done gents for that early morning effort!). The Assiniboine School roost continues to draw observers - at least 70 to 80 swifts have been counted recently. We also welcome opportunistic sightings such as those reported by Vere in Fort Rouge, William at the Assiniboine Park Duck Pond, and Cal near McTavish's Lodge in Wasagaming.

What can you expect for July observations? More heat and mosquitoes likely. It is good to have an abundant source of prey items for the insectivorous birds, chimney swifts included. Timing is everything and as hatching is very close at hand now, a bounty of food is essential for adults feeding juveniles inside the chimney. Look for a change of activity patterns at nest sites. The once an hour exchange between incubating adults (one entry followed by an exit within a couple of minutes usually) will change to 2 or perhaps 3 exchanges per hour when hatching, and therefore the start of feeding, occurs. After 6-7 days of brooding, when the adults help regulate the juvenile's temperature by covering them, the young can be non-brooded. At this stage, typically 3 to 4 feeding entry/exit exchanges of adults take place per hour and consecutive entries/exits reflect both adults foraging independently. Some rare and extremely high entry/exit rates e.g., 20 times per hour, may reflect adults reaping a locally abundant patch of insects.

At roost sites in July, the number of chimney swifts entering at night may decline from the spring peak. Non-breeding adults and immature birds may disperse to places unknown during the summer. Ken, in Dauphin, notes that their end of May counts are usually the highest for the season and then a secondary peak occurs in late July just before migration. Ruby & Co. in Selkirk, being further south, may have numbers peaking in August and often have some of the last sightings in the Province while migration is well underway.

Winging our way through Ontario recently (June 13th to 21st) was a delight. Chimney swift sightings near the Orillia Opera House, the Beaches area of Toronto, downtown Guelph, Thames St. in Ingersoll, the main street in Stratford (a drive-by sighting overhead!), and the central square in Goderich were made easily during the day and at dusk. We left chimney swift remembrances of our visits with family and friends behind - sore neck muscles from sleuthing missions; advocacy issues such as how we would protect a previously used chimney from current raccoon habitation (metal flashing on the chimney should work!); and monitoring missions at newly discovered sites passed along to newly converted swift-o-philes. Good luck to Dave & Sue who are the new expert monitors at St. George's Anglican Church in Goderich!

One common theme that Rob and I heard was how the birds were identified for the "first" time by locals because chimney swifts were not obtrusive and had been previously overlooked e.g., "I must have seen them before but I thought that they were swallows".  The other theme was "HOW DO I get a good photograph of these birds?!". Capturing a chimney swift in a still frame is a challenge to a seasoned photographer! Pass your tips along...

Of particular interest, we revisited The New Beach United Church. Two chimneys were saved from demolition in 2012 once local residents, Murray and Kathy, identified the site (initially discovered during another family trip in 2011) as chimney swift habitat to the church congregation and architects responsible for redeveloping the building. Chimney swifts were active in the area during the daytime and used both chimneys at night for roosting on June 17, 2014.

Shortly before the Ontario excursion, Jan and Ken in Dauphin reported a unique sighting of a chimney swift dropping into a terra cotta lined chimney on their roost site building. What was happening? This type of chimney has no known documented use (by our group at least).  Fast forward to Orillia. As we tracked swifts circling the skies around the Opera House, one bird made a distinct entry-type drop over a building to the east. A terra cotta lined chimney was noted once we changed position slightly - the site of the highly suspected entry event. We think that chimney swifts may be able to get toe-holds on the seams of the terra cotta liners or more easily grab onto eroded surfaces; these liners would likely not be suitable for nesting sites as juveniles need to be able to "walk" up vertical surfaces during early flight training exercises inside the chimneys. If you have any thoughts or experiences with terra cotta lined chimneys, please send them our way!

Many opportunities exist for raising the public profile of chimney swifts and advocating for habitat conservation. ​Keeping your eyes to the sky may be a cliché, however, chimney swifts can be silent, stealthy birds which feed quickly and slip easily into nest sites without detection.​ The roosting hour aggregation is at dusk when people generally are busy and not expecting to see chimney top activity. Let the chimney swifts show you what is happening...small numbers of low flying birds seen during the day indicate that nest sites could be close-by. Larger groups of chimney swifts assembling at the roosting hour (1/2 hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunset) portend the spectacle of circling and swooping/feinting away from chimney rims before the "vacuum switch" is turned on and the funneling into the chimney occurs. As chimney swift stewards, we can all expand our knowledge of the distribution and abundance of these fast fliers and help protect habitat one chimney at a time.
 

​Happy Canada Day to you all! I hope that you savour the considerable bounty of our nation.  Keep your chimney swift observations coming in and, of course, let us know of any site that needs repair/restoration/or raccoon butt intervention.  



Happy birding, Barb. ​

05 June 2014

It's A Wrap! MCSI Bulletin 4 for 2014

Manitoba News Bulletin 
National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 4 - June 2, 2014




The four night, national chimney swift monitoring program has ended. In Manitoba, the early results show that a record breaking number of swifts are occupying some roost sites. At the "old faithful" nest sites, breeding pairs are established now which holds the promise of new recruits to be added to the population later this summer.

Before summarizing some of the observations, we need to send a heartfelt shout-out to our many dedicated volunteers - THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! With numerous monitors watching the rims - the chimney rims - our program has been a success. It is a challenge to sit at chimney sides with cold temperatures, rain, wind, and bugs but the data you have collected is valuable. With 2014 being the second year for the national program, some preliminary between-year comparisons of the abundance and distribution of chimney swifts in Canada will be possible. Now for some of our early results...

The geographical coverage has been broad and chimney swifts have been sighted over a large range in Manitoba. In the north, Ken and Jan reported that they survived the blood letting experience (the mosquito flock was robust too) in Dauphin and that their roost site had 41 swifts. Typically, the numbers peak at this time of the year, then decline somewhat as swifts disperse to locations unknown. 

Out "west" in Carman, chimney swifts were documented again in two chimneys - at the Carman Memorial Hall (monitored by Matt) and the elementary school (observed by Rhonda). Greg reported a pair of swifts at the Harvest Moon Learning Centre in Clearwater. Perhaps some nesting activity will take place in these sites. News flashes from Gordon and Sandy in Portage La Prairie, and Margaret in Brandon are on their way...
On the eastern side of the province, David had his breeding pair return to the La Broquerie site for the night.​ Don and Roxie reported seasonal highs with 10 swifts roosting at the Steinbach hospital and 2 more were still on the wing when darkness shrouded the chimney tops.
Frank and Jacquie couldn't time travel, so after helping with St. Adolphe on Monday night, they headed south to Otterburne on Tuesday night and documented swifts flying about Providence College. The same mysterious story line unfolded again - airborne swifts were out after curfew.
Back to Monday, in St. Adolphe nesting pairs were identified by Rob and Frank at the SE and NE Club Amical chimneys and by Jacquie at Brodeur Bros. Three swifts were noted by Lewis, Leon, and Ken at the Church and by me at Main St.  Roberta had a lovely evening watching the skies but did not have any activity into our artificial tower located in the Church grounds.
The large group of Selkirk monitors, organized by Ruby, saw 46 swifts distributed between four sites. In the Large chimney, 39 swifts roosted (watched by Gerald and Carol); 1 was in the Yellow Brick chimney (seen by Robert H.); 3 were in the Red Brick chimney (monitored by Nia, Ralph, and Linda); and 3 were reported, by Ruby and Andy, to be overnighting in the Merchants Hotel. This dedicated group will monitor the sites weekly over the summer.

The Winnipeg area had good coverage. Paolo sighted chimney swifts in Fort Richmond area but none was observed entering St. Avila school; this area is know for swifts but the nighttime destinations still elude us. Nicole had a pair of swifts enter the Old Grace Hospital site - it appears that a breeding pair has claimed the chimney again.

Last, but far from least, comes news of the Assiniboine School roost. David, Adolf, Anna, and Peter had a mind boggling evening counting 110 chimney swifts fluttering, diving, dropping, and crowding their way into the brick chimney for the night! It was a spectacular, memorable sight. Why the great numbers this year when the 2013 peak numbered 8 swifts? Last year's recruitment could have been very high (for the only time in 7 years of monitoring, three of five St. Adolphe nest sites fledged young in 2013), overwintering success could have been very good, and/or the gregarious swifts could be luring others into the site with vocalizations - the birds are very gregarious and social interaction is fundamental to their behaviour.

We do not get reports of such large roosts in Manitoba often. Ken discovered and monitored the Dauphin roost site well before MCSI activities started in 2007 (bicycling to his sweetheart's - now wife's - home!). In the early part of that decade, over 200 swifts used the site which Ken and Jan continue to monitor annually.

Now it is time to submit your results if they have not reached me already - any form will be fine, whatever is most convenient. You can email your observations, send them along via Canada Post (to me at: 1218 Marchand Rd., Howden, MB, R5A 1J6), or by owl courier...

For the remaining part of the 2014 chimney swift season, you can track roosting numbers and nest site activity. Your observations will be welcome anytime. Frank will continue to help me post updates and developments of the breeding activities in St. Adolphe. Also, we need a head's up if you know of any chimney that needs repair/restoration or "intervention" to protect roosting and nesting habitat.

Thanks again for your generous support of MCSI and happy "swifting"!

Best, Barb Stewart
mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

31 May 2014

TRENDING: HOT, HOT, HOT & MOSQUITOES!

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

27 May 2014

Bulletin Number 2 for 2014

The second National Monitoring Night, Sunday May 25th, was a cool night again following another rainy day. Maybe we will get out of our long underwear and rain jackets before this Blitz is over. The up and not so down details of an "interesting" evening follow...​

Ken and Jan in Dauphin had 48 swifts roosting and noted many entries after "the magic hour". This was an increase from the 11 swifts seen on the first national monitoring night.

In St. Adolphe, the upward trend in numbers continued but mystery shrouded our evening. Rob had 1 +2 in at the SE + NE Club Amical chimneys respectively; I had 2 in at Main St.; Jacquie had 0 swifts at Brodeur Bros.; and Frank counted 2 in at the Church. Then "something" happened at the very end of the roosting hour. The Church swifts left after a mob of 8 chsw came screaming by.

About half way through the monitoring period, I saw a flock of what looked like 9 swifts over the Red River. Rob, who was a long block away, saw 8 swifts just at the end of the observation period, as they moved north past Brodeur Bros. and then to the Church. Rob came back to the Church wondering who got all the roosting birds. Nobody did. We had 10 airborne swifts and no idea of where they would overnight.​ ​Also, as we were debriefing during our "congregation" at the Church, a chsw dove into the Church chimney about 15 min. post-roosting hour and then left a short time later!

Ruby and her flock of monitors had 36 swifts roosting in the tall Selkirk chimney, up from 25 the first night. Also, there were 7 entries then 2 exits in the red chimney; 5 swifts were in the site at the end of the roosting hour which left two chimney swifts unaccounted for in a roost site.

Two issues seem certain. First, available nesting territory is not immediately claimed at the onset of the season. Perhaps the 2013 breeding pair at the St. Adolphe Church are dead or late-arriving and the 2014 migrants are trying to sort themselves out for the current nesting season.

Second, we have solid data that chimney swifts may be airborne well after the roosting hour. Therefore, in-site roosting totals may underestimate the total number of birds in the immediate area. Another challenge for the number crunchers...

Elsewhere in Manitoba, David Dawson counted 2 chimney swifts roosting at La Broquerie. Don and Roxie Reimer are still waiting for the first arrivals at the Steinbach hospital. David first discovered that this site was active during last year's season, so we do not have historical information for the hospital chimney. There is hope though for migrants to appear this week or later in the season.

There can be new arrivals in St. Adolphe during the third week of June. These birds may be late arriving migrants from the south or re-dispersing local swifts that had arrived in May. The same thing may happen elsewhere in Manitoba. So even if sites are empty now, there is a possibility of occupation later. Any additional monitoring of "empty" sites during the third week of June would be appreciated!

Thursday, May 29th is the next target for the national blitz. I expect numbers to build in the roost sites in Selkirk and Dauphin. For other chimneys that may be nest sites, do not give up hope of seeing swifts if they have not been sighted to date. It has been a late spring and as we are at the northern periphery of the distribution range, migrants are still arriving.

The weather is improving to the point that bug smacking on the windshield is occurring at night now and those marvelous mosquitoes are starting to appear. Think of these insects as chimney swift food instead of pesky summer intruders!

I hope you all enjoy some bounty of birds on Thursday night. Another bulletin will be sent out to update you on the developments and trends. Your monitoring efforts are appreciated very much!

Cheers, Barb.
mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

24 May 2014

News Bulletin 1 from the MCSI

Manitoba News Bulletin for the National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 1 - May 21, 2014:
The early returns are in and there was a lot of empty air space on the chilly Wednesday evening. Matt Dedrick, who coordinates the Carman volunteers, wondered if a new subspecies was indicated: "Chaetura pelagica noseeum"! Many people would agree as no chimney swifts were seen at: two Carman sites; two Clearwater sites; Portage La Prairie; and La Broquerie.

For monitors lucky enough to spot swifts, few birds roosted for the night in the occupied chimneys. The Dauphin roost had 11 swifts and the record high count for the night was at Selkirk where 25 swifts came in.

In St. Adolphe, the five nest sites had varying activity. Empty sites = SE Club Amical and Brodeur Bros.; occupied sites = 2 swifts in at the NE Club Amical chimney; 2 swifts in Main St.; and only 1 at the Church.​

All has changed now that the cold weather system has moved along and brought the first string of clear, warm days (ok, 30 C is just hot). the bug-inspiring heat has created favourable feeding conditions and chimney swifts have been sighted during the daytime now in various locations such as Fort Whyte Alive and East Kildonan in Winnipeg.

Roosting hour sightings have picked up also since Wed. Interestingly, 4 chimney swifts were active in the Carman Memorial Hall site (entries and exits) before 2 roosted for the night on Thursday, May 22nd. Roosting birds were noted again on Friday, May 23rd.

So the daytime sightings and entry/exit behavior indicate that migrants are moving into our area and nesting territory is being established for the season. The invisible swifts seem to have disappeared.

It seems that a global threat of thunderstorms is upon us all for Sunday night, May 25th, which is National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 2. From Dauphin to La Broquerie to Portage to Winnipeg, Environment Canada has the lightning icon embedded in its forecast.

Just a reminder to all monitors that safety comes first and if there is storm activity, we will pass on chimney side viewing. If light or intermittent rain occurs, monitoring can proceed...in fact, the chimney swifts in St. Adolphe have put on amazing feeding shows at the edge of storm fronts.

All the best for your viewing pleasure Sunday night and may the swifts be winging their way to a site near you...

(Our CHSW season started with an opportunity to watch a Kingston, ON roost site over the May long weekend. Thanks to Chris Grooms for steering us to the location and to Frank Machovec who has provided a link to some "phone video" footage Rob took of the 131 swift spectacle - amazing birds!). Click here to see the video.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon, Barb.

(mbchimneyswift@gmail.com)

11 May 2014

They're back!

The first spring sighting of 2014 has been reported! Two chimney swifts were spotted flying over St. Adolphe yesterday by Andy Courcelles.

 We hope that the cool, rainy forecast for the early part of the coming week will not be too harsh for the chimney swifts. 

It is time to watch the skies for more spring migrants.

Let's cast our attention chimney-ward!
 

07 May 2014

Some Tools for the Coming Monitoring Season!


Let's Watch Those Chimneys!

The Chimney Swifts are working their way northward and should be visiting Manitoba soon. The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative has prepared survey forms and survey protocols to guide monitors in the 2014 season.

A primary focus of our efforts for 2014 will be chimney observations as part of a national effort. Monitoring is to take place during the "roost hour" on May 21, May 25, May 29, and June 2. The national four-day monitoring protocol may be seen at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/MB_Protocol_Swift_2014_ROOST.pdf and the monitoring form may be obtained at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/MB_Survey%20data%20sheet_Swift_ROOST_2014.pdf

For those monitoring their sites on other dates throughout the season, please use the "MCSI monitoring protocol." The protocol is explained at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/Monitoring_Protocol.pdf , and the associated monitoring form is at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/report_form.pdf

Check the resources area of our website at http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/resources.html  for a variety of information about monitoring.

Please email the monitoring coordinator at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com to volunteer or ask any questions about the monitoring program for 2014.

Now, don't overstress those neck muscles!

04 May 2014

A New Season Begins (soon)!

A New Season Begins (soon)!

Chimney swifts have been sighted in the southeast corner of South Dakota and eastern Minnesota. So, if we can nudge, kick, or coerce the cold weather out of our area, perhaps our Manitoba chimney swifts will arrive in the next few weeks. MCSI is focusing on two activities this year. You can check out our past  monitoring results at (http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/Documents/2013_sites.pdf).

The first activity is to support the national chimney swift monitoring program where monitors across Canada will be chimney-side on the evenings of May 21, 25, 29, and June 2. The distribution and abundance of chimney swifts in Canada can be tracked through simultaneous monitoring across the country; our Manitoba data will be collated and forwarded to the national coordinator. Please contact mbchimneyswift@gmail.com if you are interested and available in joining this activity, plus indicate what geographic area is most convenient for you as a monitoring destination. The 2014 guidelines/monitoring protocols are similar to last year's which can be found at: http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/resources.html  ​We would appreciate everyone monitoring at least 1/2 hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunset on the specified evenings. No heroics are required if the weather is poor.​

The second MCSI activity is the creation of an inventory of roost and nest sites which need repairing/restoring, or candidate chimneys which could be re-opened (there must be historical data to show that the site once housed chimney swifts). We have received a three year Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) award to protect chimney swift habitat and we will begin to select sites for remedial work in the early fall.

The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative members would like to wish Frank Machovec well in his retirement from MCSI Coordinator and Steering Committee duties! Frank has served the chimney swifts, and all of us, well over many years of dedicated service. Thank you Frank! We are pleased that Frank has retained his role as webmaster so you can follow all of the Manitoba chimney swift news here, over the 2014 season.
Thanks for your interest and keep your eyes to the sky - we look forward to the first spring sightings!

--
Barb Stewart
St. Adolphe Monitor & MCSI Steering Committee Member

Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative
c/o Nature Manitoba, #401 - 63 Albert Street, Winnipeg, MB R3B 1G4
www.naturemanitoba.ca -- 204-943-9029