September is right around the corner, and the end of the 2023 Chimney Swift monitoring season in Manitoba has officially arrived. We want to send out a massive massive THANK YOU to everyone who engaged in Chimney Swift conservation this season, in one way or another. MCSI relies heavily on our citizen scientists to help us gather important data on roosting activities, breeding behaviour, arrival/departure dates, chimney use, etc. An important part of what MCSI does is clean and repair swift chimneys. This monitoring data really helps inform these habitat protection and restoration activities. On that note, if you have noticed any swift chimneys that could use some TLC, we’d love to hear about it. Please remember to send us any remaining datasheets you may have!
We do have a few monitoring updates from this past week, which all confirm the departure of the swifts from the province.
Jennifer happened to see two swifts enter the chimney at the Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre (340 Provencher Blvd) on August 21st, showing that they were still around last week. Jennifer monitored 100 Adelaide Street (one of our priority sites) on the evening of August 24th, but did not see any swift activity.
Blair checked out 261 Youville Street on August 25th and 1310 Archibald Street on August 26th. Both these chimneys had feeding activity earlier in August, but by this week, the swifts were gone.
Christie who had swifts in her home chimney in Tuxedo, reports that throughout the summer she was seeing numerous entries and exits. During the last few weeks, she often saw up to a dozen swifts flying in the airspace above her house. By August 25th, she had not seen any swifts for a few days.
Glennis and Louanne monitored the Orange Block Building in Brandon on August 30th, and saw no swift activity there either.
Thank you all again for a successful 2023 season. We’re already looking forward to next year!
If there are any topics you’d be interested in learning about in winter blog posts, let me know.
Wow, it’s hard to believe it’s already August 18th. Where does the time go?! The summer seems to be going by extra fast this year – many natural cycles seem to be running on an earlier schedule than ‘usual’. Plants are going to seed, and the wasps are making their presence known. The swifts too, seem to be on a ‘swift’ timeline this year. We will see how the swift activity progresses within the next few weeks… They may very soon depart for their annual leave. It’s been interesting to observe how the timing of nesting has varied across sites, throughout the season. Last week, some sites were still feeding young, while other sites had already fledged. This week, some sites are still busy with the presence of fledged young, adults, and helpers, while at other sites, the family units seem to have already dispersed. It’s all a good reminder to take notice of the swifts while they are still here, along with the rest of summer’s fleeting treasures.
Anyhow, the swifts aren’t gone yet – keep sending in those monitoring reports! While things are calming down, it’s still helpful to know what is going on at the swift sites in this final phase of the season.
Now, onto our monitoring update.
In St. Adolphe, Barb was at the Church on the evening of August 13th. At 7:33pm, she saw 1 lone swift approach and circle the chimney, drop, and then veer away, a few times. The swift finally entered the chimney at 7:34pm, slowly and quietly. Barb suggested this may be a migrant. Over an hour later around 8:41pm, a swift exited the chimney, heading east. Here are a few of Barb’s notes: “The Church appeared to be used as a rest stop for over an hour; no local feeding was seen; 2 CHSW accounted for. The small roost (seen July 23rd; comprising the Church family group, helper(s), and other locals/from aways) has now dispersed. The birds are feeding out of the St A airspace during the day now”. Barb also notes that last year, the young at the Church fledged on August 11st, while the young at SE Club Amical and Main St fledged on August 13th. In Barb’s words once again, “It goes to show how variable weather and food supply, thus breeding stages, are year to year”!
In Brandon, the north chimney on the Orange Block building provided some exciting viewing for Louanne, Glennis and Sandy. On August 9th between 8:00pm and 9:29pm, they observed 12 entries and 11 exits by 2 swifts, often entering and exiting at the same time. At the end of the roosting hour, there were 2 swifts confirmed inside the chimney. On August 16th, Glennis, Gwynn, Gillian and Louanne returned to watch the chimney once again. There was lots of action, beginning with a “shaky” entry at 8:13pm, and another entry at 8:22pm. There was 1 exit at 8:25pm, 1 entry at 8:35pm, 1 exit at 8:47pm, 2 entries at 9:00pm (2 swifts “tumbled in one right after the other”), and 1 more entry at 9:05pm. In total, there were 4 swifts confirmed in the chimney. The observers note that the swifts seemed to be a mixture of fledglings and adult birds, based on how they were flying around, and entering/exiting the chimney. Great result after a slow start to the season.
Gerald was at Lower Fort Garry on August 12th, and the swifts did not disappoint here either! At the Men’s House, there 2 entries at 8:09pm, 1 exit at 8:17pm, 2 entries at 8:24pm, 2 entries at 8:29pm, 1 exit at 8:31pm, 2 entries at 8:44pm, 1 exit at 8:45pm, 1 exit at 8:53pm, and 3 entries between 8:57pm and 9:02pm. All this action came out to 7 swifts in the chimney at once, most likely representing a group of fledglings! At the Fur Loft, between 8pm and 9:15pm, there were a whopping 28 entries and 25 exits, with 4 swifts in the chimney by the end of the roosting hour, supporting fledglings at this site. Barb said it well – Gerald may need some neck support after ‘all that amazing whiplash activity’!
Over at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC), things have calmed down compared to the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks. On August 10th, Veronica and Cam did some daytime monitoring of the SMHC sites. At T1 and T3, there were swifts spotted in the sky but no entries or exits into the towers. Over at T4, there were no swifts observed at all. On August 14th, the Selkirk Birdwatchers Club monitored the SMHC sites during the roosting hour – Thank you to Linda, Nia, Robert, and Gerald! At the Yellow Brick chimney, there was 1 entry at 8:49pm. At the Infirmary chimney, there were 2 entries at 8:05pm followed by 2 more entries at 8:55pm, for a total of 4 in the chimney by the end of the roosting hour. At T01, there was 1 entry at 8:54pm and another entry at 9:10pm. At T03, there was 1 entry at 8:10pm, followed by another 2 possible entries at 8:50pm. At T04, there was 1 entry at 9:10pm.
On August 9th, Winona watched the Merchant’s Hotel and did not see any activity. On August 14th, Winona watched the Apartments at 367 Main St in Selkirk, and saw 2 entries around 8:56pm. Over at the Lockport bridge, Fred, Nettie, Doug and Tim saw no activity on August 14th during a roosting hour monitoring session.
In Winnipeg, Aynsley monitored Valhalla Gardens on the evening of August 14th and did not see any swift activity.
Priority Site List Update
Time is running out, but here’s the list of priority sites that have yet to be confirmed:
Settlement
Neighbourhood
Location
Site
Observer
Manitou
.
338 Hamilton St
St Andrews United Church
Capped.
Morden
352 Stephen St
Pembina Hills Art Centre
Selkirk
.
420 Main St
Lord Selkirk Hotel
Gerald Machnee
The Pas
.
380 Hazelwood Ave
VIA Rail Station
Wasagaming
106 Buffalo Dr
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
222 York Ave
Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
222 York Ave
Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
803 Erin St
Elan Designs and Upholstery
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church (east chimney)
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church (west chimney)
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
33 Kennedy St
Lincoln Towers Apartment
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
100 Adelaide St
Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
348 Assiniboine Ave
Redboine Apartments
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
91 Albert St
The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
239 Colony St
The Florida
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
East Kildonan/Elmwood
325 Talbot Ave
Riverwood Church Community Firehall
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
411 Stradbrook Ave
Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
277 River Ave
Royal Oak Court Apartments
Aynsley Woods
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
105 Clarke St
My Place Realty
Marissa Berard
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
272 Cockburn St N
King George Court
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
118 Scott St
Apartment
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
280 River Ave
Moxam Court
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
245 Bell Ave
Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
834 Grosvenor Ave
Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
444 River Ave
Augustine United Church
Winnipeg
North End
935 Main St
Ukrainian National Federation
Jon Benson
Winnipeg
North Kildonan
25 Valhalla Dr
Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
465A Lanark St
Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
465D Lanark St
Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
1055 Grant Ave
Grant Wilton Apartments
Aynsley Woods
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
890 McMillan Ave
Milan Apartments
Aynsley Woods
Winnipeg
St Boniface
1310 Archibald St
Niakwa Park Plaza
Blair Reid Frank Machovec
Winnipeg
St Boniface
340 Provencher Blvd
Centre Culturel Franco Manitoba
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
864 Marion St
No. 9 Fire Paramedic Station
Frank Machovec
Winnipeg
St Boniface
847 Marion St
Euro craft office furnishings
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
99 Birchdale Ave
Nordale School
Winnipeg
St James
2160 Portage Ave
Stanley Park Apartments
Amanda Shave
Winnipeg
St James
2150 Portage Ave
Thunderbird Apartments
Amanda Shave
Winnipeg
St James
155 Traill Avenue
Hilton House Apts
Amanda Shave
Winnipeg
St James
2415 Portage Ave
Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg
St Vital
531 St Mary’s Rd
Riverside Billiards
List updated August 18
Once again, we truly could not do any of this without our incredibly volunteers. It is heartwarming to still be receiving exciting and enthusiastic reports, in August. Thank you! You can reach us at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com – always happy to answer questions, and chat about swifts.
I hope you all had a great long weekend, and an even greater week. The weather continues to keep us on our toes – lots of variation in temperature and humidity. The swifts are still around, and so the monitoring continues.
Frank checked out one of our priority sites, Lanark Gardens (465D Lanark Ave) on the evening of August 4th and though he noted that the chimney was a nice one, he did not see any swift activity. Veronica checked out 118 Scott St (another one of our priority sites) on August 4th and while she did observe some swifts flying above, she did not see any entries or exits into the chimney.
Over in Carman, Rhonda has been watching the chimney at the Town Hall. On August 4th, she saw 2 swifts enter at 1:40pm, and another 2 swifts enter at 1:55pm. At 2:05pm, she saw 1 swift exit. Rhonda returned the next day (August 5th) to watch the chimney again from a better vantage point. She saw 3 swifts enter the chimney at 6:19pm, followed by 1 exit at 6:26pm and another exit at 6:34pm.
Over in Selkirk, Winona watched the Merchant’s Hotel on August 9th and saw no activity. On August 6th, at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC), Gerald watched the Infirmary and saw 1 entry/exit at 8:35pm, 1 entry at 9:08pm, 1 entry at 9:22pm followed by 2 entries at 9:29pm. Gerald suspects that the last two entries were by young swifts, as they had been diving and making passes at the chimney until they finally entered. There was also a third swift diving at the chimney, but Gerald did not see this swift enter (he noted that it was very dark at this point, making it difficult to see). Over at T01, there were 2 exits around 8:11pm, followed by 2 entry/exit cycles at 8:25pm and 8:28pm, 1 entry at 8:39pm, another entry/exit at 8:56pm, followed by two final entries. At T02, there was not much activity, except for 1 possible entry observed by Patti and Dennis around 8:37pm. At T03, there was 1 entry/exit around 8:14pm, followed by 1 entry at 9:06pm. On August 7th, Patti and Dennis watched T02 again but did not see any entries/exits. At T04, Nia and Linda observed 1 entry at 8:58pm, and 1 exit and entry at 9:22pm. At the Yellow Brick chimney, 7 swifts entered between 9:11pm and 9:20pm, followed by 2 exits at 9:21pm.
Gerald visited Lower Fort Garry on August 7th. At the Fur Loft, he noted 1 entry at 8:30pm, followed by 1 entry/exit at 8:46pm and 1 more entry at 8:52pm. At the Men’s House, there was lots of feeding activity – between 8:10pm and 8:59pm, there were 7 entry/exit cycles, followed by 1 entry at 9:07pm and another entry at 9:16pm.
Doug watched the bridge in Lockport on August 10th and saw no activity, though the weather was quite rainy which may have impacted the swifts’ behaviour.
Priority Site List Update
Here’s an updated list of priority sites that still need to be confirmed:
Settlement
Neighbourhood
Location
Site
Observer
Manitou
.
338 Hamilton St
St Andrews United Church
Capped.
Morden
352 Stephen St
Pembina Hills Art Centre
Selkirk
.
420 Main St
Lord Selkirk Hotel
Gerald Machnee
The Pas
.
380 Hazelwood Ave
VIA Rail Station
Wasagaming
106 Buffalo Dr
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
222 York Ave
Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
222 York Ave
Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
803 Erin St
Elan Designs and Upholstery
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church (east chimney)
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church (west chimney)
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
33 Kennedy St
Lincoln Towers Apartment
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
100 Adelaide St
Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
348 Assiniboine Ave
Redboine Apartments
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
91 Albert St
The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
239 Colony St
The Florida
Tim Poole
Winnipeg
East Kildonan/Elmwood
325 Talbot Ave
Riverwood Church Community Firehall
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
411 Stradbrook Ave
Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
277 River Ave
Royal Oak Court Apartments
Aynsley Woods
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
105 Clarke St
My Place Realty
Marissa Berard
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
272 Cockburn St N
King George Court
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
118 Scott St
Apartment
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
280 River Ave
Moxam Court
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
245 Bell Ave
Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
834 Grosvenor Ave
Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
444 River Ave
Augustine United Church
Winnipeg
North End
935 Main St
Ukrainian National Federation
Jon Benson
Winnipeg
North Kildonan
25 Valhalla Dr
Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
465A Lanark St
Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
465D Lanark St
Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
1055 Grant Ave
Grant Wilton Apartments
Aynsley Woods
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
890 McMillan Ave
Milan Apartments
Aynsley Woods
Winnipeg
St Boniface
1310 Archibald St
Niakwa Park Plaza
Blair Reid Frank Machovec
Winnipeg
St Boniface
340 Provencher Blvd
Centre Culturel Franco Manitoba
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
864 Marion St
No. 9 Fire Paramedic Station
Frank Machovec
Winnipeg
St Boniface
847 Marion St
Euro craft office furnishings
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
99 Birchdale Ave
Nordale School
Winnipeg
St James
2160 Portage Ave
Stanley Park Apartments
Amanda Shave
Winnipeg
St James
2150 Portage Ave
Thunderbird Apartments
Amanda Shave
Winnipeg
St James
155 Traill Avenue
Hilton House Apts
Amanda Shave
Winnipeg
St James
2415 Portage Ave
Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg
St Vital
531 St Mary’s Rd
Riverside Billiards
Updated August 11, 2023
Thanks everyone for the continued effort and enthusiasm! Keep sending us those swift reports.
Wow, can you believe it’s August already? Time continues to fly-on by, as do the swifts… Based on the different reports we’ve received, many sites have already fledged while some are still feeding young. Read on to see what the swifts (and the swift monitors) have been up to around the province lately. As usual, we’ve also got an updated priority site list (which continues to get shorter, thanks to you incredible folks)!
Winnipeg
Let’s start with a priority list update. Both Carla and Amanda checked out the Essex House (2415 Portage Ave) this week, which is on our priority site list. Unfortunately, no swift activity to report. Katharine visited Grant Wilton Apartments (1055 Grant Ave) on July 31 and did not see any swifts use the chimney. However, Aynsley monitored this site on August 1st and saw 1 swift exit! Goes to show that just because swifts did not use a chimney on a given night, doesn’t mean that they are not using that chimney. Aynsley then moved to Milan Apartments (890 McMillan Ave) and saw 2 swifts using that chimney as well. On August 3rd, a few of us did a last-minute ‘blitz’ of a few priority sites during the roosting hour. I (Marissa) watched the apartment building at 105 Clarke St and saw 3 swifts enter at 9:22pm. Jon started at 222 York Ave but wasn’t seeing any swifts in the area so chose to move to the Ukrainian National Federation (935 Main St), where he observed 2 entry/exit cycles at 9:12pm and 9:14pm, followed by 2 entries at 9:20pm and 9:22pm. Amanda watched Eugene Apartments (834 Grosvenor Ave) and while she did see up to 22 swifts flying together in the area, she did not see any swifts enter/exit the chimney. Aynsley began watching Lancaster Apartments (411 Stradbrook Ave) and later moved to 245 Bell Ave, and unfortunately did not see any activity at either site.
Two new swift sites have been discovered in Winnipeg! Tim Poole found 2 swifts entering the chimney at St. George School (151 George St) on July 25th. While in the area, he also noticed some swifts near another candidate chimney at Fernwood Apartments (314 St Anne’s Rd). Frank visited Fernwood Apartments to further investigate on July 31, and saw 14 entries and 2 exits, with up to 12 swifts in the chimney at once! Always exciting to add sites to our database.
On August 2nd, Tim, Aynsley, Marissa, Veronica and Cam were visiting different chimneys in Osborne Village and saw 1 swift exit the chimney at 375 Stradbrook Ave.
Blair has been busy in the St. Boniface and East Kildonan areas. Visits to 847 Marion St on July 25th, 188 Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (188 St Mary’s Rd) on July 26th, the No. 9 Fire Paramedic Station (864 Marion St) on July 29th, and the Riverwood Church Community Firehall (325 Talbot Ave) on July 30th all resulted in no swift activity observed. Some sites did have activity, however. On July 27th during the roosting hour, Blair visited Kaljieb Electrics (690 St Joseph St) and saw lots of activity, including 10 entries and 5 exits and a maximum of 5 swifts confirmed in the chimney at once. Blair mentioned it looked like a family of 5 swifts, with 3 fledglings. On July 28th during the roosting hour at Springs Christian Academy (261 Youville St), Blair observed 3 entry/exit cycles followed by 2 entries at 9:27pm for a maximum of 2 swifts in the chimney at once. On August 1st during the roosting hour, Blair visited Niakwa Park Plaza (1310 Archibald St) and saw 1 entry/exit cycle at 8:55 pm, followed by another entry at 9:03pm for a total of 1 swift observed in the chimney.
Ariel visited the Assiniboine School (175 Winston Rd) on June 27th, and saw 2 swifts enter the chimney which is a known roost site. On July 18, she visited River Manor Apartments (424 River Ave), another one of our roost sites, and observed 90 swifts enter the chimney during the roosting hour.
On July 28th, Garry visited his usual site at 722 Watt St for a roosting hour monitoring session. There was lots of activity! Throughout the 61 minutes that he was there, there were 5 entries and 3 exits, with 3 swifts confirmed to be in the chimney at once.
Dauphin
On August 2nd, Ken and the rest of the Dauphin crew did a site-wide roosting hour monitoring session, covering all known Dauphin chimneys. They found that each chimney was still in use with up to 2 birds at each site and around 10 at the roost chimney. Ken once again mentioned the noticeable lack of insects around Dauphin, which rings true in Winnipeg as well.
Brandon
On July 26th, Sandy, Glennis and Louanne monitored the Orange Block. They observed 1 exit at 8:42pm, followed by 4 entry/exit cycles between 8:57 pm and 9:17 pm, followed by 2 entries at 9:31pm. On August 2nd at this same chimney, they observed 6 entry/exits cycles by 1 swift between 8:25pm and 9:19pm, followed by 2 swifts entering around 9:19pm, followed by 2 swifts exiting around 9:22pm, and finally 2 swifts entering for the evening at 9:33pm. While this site had limited activity earlier in the year, it does appear that feeding is happening.
St. Adolphe
Barb and Rob remain very busy keeping an eye on things in St. Adolphe. On July 21st, there was no use of both chimneys at Club Amical and low activity at the Daycare. The Church however, was a lot busier – the young which would have been at least 22 days of age at this point according to Barb, were fed ten times during the hour and a helper was present. Barb monitored again on July 23rd, briefly enduring a downpour. There was no activity again at the Daycare, but once the rain stopped, 3 swifts exited the chimney (one of them is helper). 1 swift entered/exit 23 minutes later, and then 2 swifts entered/exited later a few minutes later. Over at Main St, Barb saw a quick entry/exit feeding visit.
On July 30th, Rob and Barb did a roosting hour watch at the Church, and counted 8 swifts entering the chimney for the night. Barb noticed some variety in how the different swifts were entering the chimney. She writes: “A few minutes after sunset a single bird arrived; low, really batlike wing flapping and it raised itself up to the elevation of the rim and plopped in. Then another swift arrived with the same style. We think those were fledglings. As the dark descended smaller groups of 4-6 swifts came whipping in and around the chimney – totally masked at times by flying close to the black roof. Ugh. That was hard to count. We had a couple of birds that repeated tight circling low to the rim before dropping in. We also had 3 absolutely bullet-like confident approaches at higher altitudes and fast entries. They resembled entries I’ve seen all summer long by the attending adults. With the three entry styles involved, we feel that there are fledglings (2 for sure, likely 3), three adults = parents/helper, and some “roosters” involved.” A great reminder that taking note of how swifts approach and enter the chimney can give us some information on their age and experience!
On July 31st, Barb returned to the Main St site for a daytime visit, and noticed that the young had fledged. After another visit the next day, Barb reported that ‘the Main St fledglings were flying low over their natal site but no entries/exits were seen’. She went back on August 2nd and once again did not see entries/exits. Great to know the fledglings at both the Main St and Church sites are out in the world!
Lockport
On August 2nd at the St Andrews Lock and Dam Maintenance Compound in Lockport, Fred, Nettie and Doug observed 1 entry at 8:45pm, 1 exit at 8:50pm, and another entry at 9:10pm all in the south chimney. There was no swift activity in the north chimney.
Lower Fort Garry
Gerald visited Lower Fort Garry on August 1st for a roosting hour check. At the Men’s House, he observed 7 entry/exit cycles, followed by 2 entries at 9:07pm and 2 exits at 9:11pm, followed by 2 final entries. At the Fur Loft, he observed 3 entry/exit cycles, followed by 2 final entries. It seems that feeding is still happening at both chimneys.
Selkirk
On July 27th, Tim, Cam and Veronica did a daytime check of the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC) sites. At T01, Tim observed 3 entry/exits by 1 swift between 11:28am and 11:52 am. At T02, Tim observed an entry/exit around 11:59am and 2 entries followed by 2 exits between 12:34pm and 12:37pm. At T03, Cam did not see any entry/exits during his hour of monitoring beginning at 11:16am, but did catch 1 exit later on at 1:08pm. Cam also watched T04 and observed 2 entries and 1 exit (with 1 swift in chimney at once). Veronica watched the Yellow Brick chimney and observed 2 swifts entering together, followed by 2 swifts exiting together, followed by an entry/exit by 1 swift. At the Infirmary chimney, Veronica observed 4 entries and 3 exits, within approximately 30 minutes, with up to 2 swifts in the chimney at once.
On July 31, the six SMHC sites were monitored again, this time during the roosting hour by the Selkirk Birdwatchers Club. The Selkirk Birdwatchers Club have been monitoring these sites weekly all summer – impressive! Each site continued to be active. Over at T01, Winona and Gerald 3 entry/exit cycles between 8:14pm and 8:51pm, followed by a final entry at 9:05pm. At T02, Patti and Dennis observed 1 entry at 9:05pm, followed by another entry/exit at 9:07pm. At 9:21pm, 2 swifts entered (though 1 swift took 2 attempts to successfully enter the chimney). At 9:24pm there were another 2 entries, a possible exit at 9:27 pm and a final entry at 9:30pm. A total of 5 swifts (presumably some fledglings included) were confirmed in the chimney at once! At T03, Gerald observed 1 entry at 8:31pm, 1 exit at 8:58pm, and another entry at 9:14pm. Over at T04, Nia and Linda observed 4 entries and 2 exits, with a total of 3 swifts in the chimney. Nia and Linda also watched the Yellow Brick chimney and observed 6 entries and 4 exits, with up to 3 swifts in the chimney at once. Finally, at the Infirmary chimney, Gerald observed 8 entries and 7 exits, with up to 3 swifts in the chimney at once. Busy busy! Also in Selkirk, Winona visited the Merchant’s Hotel (383 Eveline St) on July 30th and observed 2 entries at 9:24pm. On August 1st, Winona monitored the apartment building at 367 Main St and saw 2 entries around 9:07pm
Steinbach
Barb and Rob stopped by Bethesda Hospital in Steinbach on July 26th for a quick scan, and did not see any swifts during the 10 minutes that they were there.
La Broquerie
Frank checked out La Broquerie on July 27th, and noticed that the swifts were behaving differently than in previous years: “During the monitoring period, no CHSW were seen foraging in the vicinity of the church. Usually, there is some (and occasionally lots of) activity around the church before entries into the chimneys”. Frank observed 3 swifts enter the smaller chimney, and 2 swifts enter the larger chimney.
Priority Site List Update
Here’s an updated list of priority sites that still need to be confirmed:
