It’s been an exciting time for the MCSI! A new swift site turned up, CBC picked up the story, published an article, and it even made its way onto the radio… all within the span of a few weeks!
Recently, a new Chimney Swift site was established at a private residence in Winnipeg’s Old Tuxedo neighbourhood. The news article details the series of events which led to the site’s discovery: the homeowners – Nettie and Thomas Rempel-Ong – began hearing the chittering of swifts coming from their fireplace earlier in the season. They ‘swiftly’ (see what I did, there?) realized that the presence of wildlife within their chimney likely warranted a call to the pros. Once Tim (MCSI Steering Committee Chair) received word, he notified Mackenzie of the potential site. She conducted a daytime monitoring session of the home on July 10th, and if you’ve been keeping up with our weekly recaps, you know what happened next – she confirmed the site was being used, having observed a confident entry into the chimney plus four more swifts flying in the vicinity!
Last week, Mackenzie was contacted directly by CBC’s Bryce Hoye, who was keen on producing the story. She was invited to the site to be interviewed, film a video segment, and chat about all things swifts! Then, to help spread the word of the article (which went live on Sunday, July 26th), she was asked to participate in a radio interview with CBC that morning. This gave her the opportunity to provide context to the news story and talk about the work of MCSI more broadly.
We’re truly thrilled to be a part of such an uplifting story. This situation has not only shared MCSI’s mission with a bigger audience, but it also demonstrates how homeowners themselves can play a direct role in the conservation of Manitoba’s Chimney Swifts. Too often, unexpected wildlife in the home is regarded as a nuisance to be dealt with – but in this case, Thomas’s genuine excitement and willingness to share his space with this Species at Risk is heartwarming beyond measure. Instances like this do more for that shift in perception than many other strategies ever could.
We’d like to say a huge thank-you to Thomas and Nettie for seeing their swifts as neighbours worth making a little room inside their home for! We encourage everyone to read the full story here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/chimney-swifts-winnipeg-protected-habitat-9.7274190.
Happy reading! – Brooke (Program Assistant
