Author: mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

Hello all! We’ve got lots of monitoring updates to share this week including a new site in Winnipeg, and 3 sites crossed off our priority site list! 

Our June monitoring blitz was on Wednesday June 18. Unfortunately the weather in many areas was stormy and/or rainy, so this definitely made it tough to monitor certain sites and/or may have led to some swifts going to bed early. We still managed to get lots of great data on June 18 as well as during the rest of the week.

Many sites are showing daytime activity. Most nesting swifts will likely be at the incubation stage. At this stage you will likely see classic incubation exchanges – 1 entry followed by 1 exit a few minutes later. These incubation exchanges typically happen about once per 60 minutes.

Without further ado, let’s get into the monitoring recap!

Carman

On June 13, Gordon and Jana watched the Memorial Hall from 8:38-9:30pm. They saw 1 entry at 9:07pm and 1 entry at 9:13pm. Jana notes that there was a break in the observation time from 8:48pm-9:00pm as they spend a few minutes checking out the chimney at the Carman Elementary School.

Hartney

Katharine has spent a lot of time monitoring the Hart-Cam Museum in Hartney, a site she discovered back in 2023. Katharine didn’t see any swifts there last year, so she was very excited to see 2 swifts back at the chimney on June 9. The rollercoaster ride continued when she returned on June 10 and June 11 and saw zero sign of the swifts – had they disappeared again? Thankfully, on June 19, Katharine saw 2 swifts again, entering the chimney for the evening.

Lower Fort Garry

Gerald watched the LFG sites on June 11 during the roosting hour. He saw 2 entries into the Fur Loft and 3 entries into the Men’s House. 

Morden

Marvin monitored Lucky Chinese Restaurant on June 18 during the roosting hour and saw 1 entry at 9:51pm. Marvin notes that he did not see any swift activity other than the one quick entry.

Marvin monitored this site again on June 19 and this time saw 1 entry at 9:12pm followed by an exit at 9:15pm, 1 entry at 9:15pm, and 1 entry at 9:29pm. It appears that there is a nesting attempt ongoing at this chimney!

Otterburne

On June 17, Brett monitored the convent building at 33 Eglise Ave and saw 6 swifts in the air near the chimney, but no entries or exits between 9:20pm-10:20pm.

On June 18, Brett monitored Providence College and saw up to 9 swifts overhead but only 1 entry into site 551 (“large chimney”) and 1 entry into site 552 (“skinny chimney).

Portage la Prairie

On June 11, Gordon and Jana monitored the Red River College from 9:07pm-10:12pm. They did see 2 swifts fly over, but there were no entries or exits.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Luc monitored the church in Saint-Jean-Baptiste on June 18. He saw 1 entry at 9:17pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:44pm, and 4 entries from 9:47-9:57pm (5 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour). Luc noted that the final entry happened a few seconds before it began to rain. 

Selkirk

The action continues at Selkirk Mental Health Centre. Thanks to the Selkirk Birdwatcher’s Club diligent monitoring efforts paired with the daytime monitoring by Tim’s Wildlife Branch students, we’re able to gather so much interesting information on all the strange and interesting happenings at all 6 sites! 

Cam watched T01 on June 11 from 10:14-10:59am and saw 2 entries at 10:20am, 2 exits at 10:21am, 2 entries at 10:22am, 1 entry/exit at 10:24am, 2 exits at 10:25am, 1 entry/exit at 10:28am, 2 entries at 10:29am, 2 exits at 10:30am, 1 entry at 10:32, 1 entry at 10:33, 2 exits at 10:34, 1 entry at 10:47, a entry at 10:49, 1 entry/exit at 10:51, 2 exits at 10:54. That’s up to 3 in the tower at once, and 12 swifts accounted for in the air. Cam monitored the Yellow Brick chimney and T04 from 11:07am to 11:52am. There were no entries or exits at the Yellow Brick chimney. At T04, he saw 1 entry at 11:08am followed by 1 exit at 11:12am. 

On June 11, Bonnie watched the Infirmary chimney and T03. At the Infirmary chimney, she saw 3 entries between 9:20-9:52pm. At T03, there was lots of activity: 1 entry at 8:56pm, 2 entries at 9:26pm, 1 entry/exit at 9:35pm, 2 exits at 9:43pm, 2 entries at 9:45pm, 1 exit at 9:51pm, and 19 entries between 9:52pm-10:12pm (21 swifts in the tower at the end of the roosting hour). Fred and Nettie watched T01 and saw 1 entry at 8:00pm, 2 entries at 8:15pm, and 2 entries at 9:48pm (5 swifts roosting in the tower).

On June 12, Nia and Linda watched the Yellow Brick chimney and T04. At T04, they saw 1 entry at 9:09pm, 1 entry at 9:16pm, 1 exit at 9:18pm, 1 exit at 9:24pm, and 4 entries between 0:42pm-9:59pm (4 swifts roosting in the tower). At the Yellow Brick chimney, they saw 1 entry at 9:16pm.

On June 13, Gerald watched the Merchant’s Hotel and saw 2 entries around 9:15pm.

On June 15, Dennis and Patti watched the Infirmary and T03. At the Infirmary chimney, they saw 1 entry at 9:25pm, 4 entries between 9:48-9:51pm, 1 exit at 9:51pm, 2 entries at 10:02pm, 1 exit at 10:02pm, 2 entries around 10:05pm, and 2 final entries around 10:13pm (9 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour). At T03, there was once again a lot of activity. They monitored from 8:50pm-10:13pm. From 9:24pm-10:00pm, there were 15 entries and 7 exits (up to 9 swifts in the chimney but only 8 swifts inside at the end of the roosting hour).

Gerald watched 367 Main St on June 15 and saw no swifts. 

On June 17, Gerald (with the help of his video cameras) monitored T01, T03 and the Infirmary. At T03, he saw 1 entry/exit around 9:03pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:12pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:35pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:47pm, 1 exit at 9:53pm, and 5 entries between 9:56pm-10:11pm (5 swifts roosting in the tower). At the Infirmary chimney, he saw 2 entries around 8:57pm, 6 entries between 9:18pm-9:27pm, 2 entries followed by 1 exit around 9:48pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:53pm, and 4 entries around 10:02pm (13 swifts roosting in the chimney). At T01, he saw 1 entry at 8:46pm, 1 entry at 9:17pm, 1 entry/exit around 9:27pm, 2 entries around 9:54pm, followed by 2 exits around 9:58pm (up to 4 swifts using the chimney but only 2 at the end of the roosting hour).

On June 18, Dennis and Pattie monitored the Infirmary and T03. At the Infirmary, they saw a whopping 30 entries and 17 exits between 9:24pm-10:12pm (up to 13 swifts in the chimney but only 11 swifts in at the end of the roosting hour). At T03, there were 10 entries and 4 exits from 9:43pm-10:12pm (up to 7 swifts inside the tower but only 6 swifts in at the end of the roosting hour).

On June 19, Nia and Linda monitored the Yellow Brick chimney and T04. At the Yellow Brick, they saw 3 entries from 9:14pm-9:19pm, and 1 exit at 9:51pm (2 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour). At T04, they saw 2 entries at 9:27pm, 1 exit at 9:51pm, and 2 entries around 9:53pm (3 swifts in the tower at the end of the roosting hour).

There is a lot to keep up with here, and the swift numbers at each site seem to be changing from night to night. I hope to do a bit more of a deep dive into the SMHC sites in a future blog post, to really try and explain what might be happening at each of the sites!

Souris

On June 11, Katharine monitored a few sites in Souris. At the “White House”, a private residence on 5^th Ave W, she saw lots of activity – 1 entry/exit around 11:46am, 1 entry/exit around 12:19pm, 2 entries around 12:38pm followed by 2 exits at 12:42pm, 1 entry at 12:46pm, 2 entry/exits at 12:58pm, 1 exit at 12:49pm, 2 entries around 12:56pm, 1 entry/exit around 1:06pm, and 2 exits at 1:11pm. There were at least 3 swifts using the chimney. Potentially a nesting site pair with a helper? Exciting!

At another private residence on 5^th Ave W (which is on our priority site list), Katharine did not see any swift activity. Katharine also monitored the Rock Shop and saw 2 exits around 3:05pm, 1 entry at 3:27pm, and 1 exit at 3:33pm.

While passing through Souris on June 13, I (Marissa) saw 1 entry into the Lagasse Studio of Fine Arts at 10:51am.

Winnipeg

We’ve got a new site in Winnipeg! On June 17, Jon saw a swift enter the chimney at Billy Mosienko Lanes (1136 Main St) at 6:43pm. This site wasn’t previously in our database. Nice one, Jon!

Frank monitored 223 Archibald (priority site) on June 15. He saw one entry at 8:50pm! Frank also monitored the Transcona College (another priority site) on June 17, and saw 1 entry at 8:50pm, 1 exit at 9:10pm and 1 exit at 9:33pm.  Woohoo, that’s 2 priority sites confirmed! Nice one, Frank! 

Blair monitored 1310 Archibald on June 12 and saw 1 entry at 9:04pm just as he was arriving. He suspects the other swift may have entered before he arrived. Blair monitored Fernwood Apartments (314 St Annes) on June 16 and saw 1 exit at 9:17pm, and 2 entries at 9:45pm. On June 18, Blair monitored 325 Talbot from 9:55-10:40am and saw up to 5 swifts flying overhead, and 1 entry at 10:31am.

Cam monitored multiple sites across Winnipeg on June 13 during the day. He watched the Cambridge Hotel 8:23-9:10am and did not see any swift activity. Cam then watched 411 Stradbrook Ave from 9:22-10:07am and saw up to 4 swifts foraging low overhead but no entries or exits. Next, he watched 280 River Ave from 10:21am-11:06am and saw 3 swifts overhead but no entries or exits. Cam watched 834 Grosvenor Ave (a priority site) from 11:49-12:00am and saw 1 entry/exit at 11:51am, and 1 entry at 11:55am – woohoo, priority site confirmed! He then watched the 465A Lanark and 465D Lanark from 12:26-1:11pm and though there were 3 CHSW foraging low in the sky, there were no entries or edits.

Breanne has been regularly monitoring the Maryland Foodfare chimney (as she does every year). On May 29, she saw 1 exit at 8:56pm and 2 entries at 9:23pm. On June 6, she saw 1 entry at 8:50pm, 1 exit at 9:01pm, and 2 entries around 9:30pm. On June 13, she saw 1 entry at 8:55pm, and 1 entry at 9:22pm.

John monitored the CMU chimney on June 14 from 2:13-3:13pm during the daytime and saw 1 exit at 2:36pm. Walker and Richard monitored the CMU chimney on June 16 and saw 2 entries at 9:39pm.

On June 18, Evan set out to monitor the private residence on Kylemore. While there was no swift activity at that chimney, Evan did see 2 swifts enter the chimney on the west side of the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre.

Rudolf monitored the Curtis Hotel on June 18 and saw 3 swifts enter the chimney during the roosting hour.

Jo and Betsy monitored the Assiniboine Park Zoo tower on June 19 during the roosting hour, and they did not see any swift activity at the tower – very unusual for this site!

Amy M. (program assistant) has been monitoring a variety of sites around the city. On June 13, she checked out the McBeth House and saw 1 entry into the north chimney around 11am. She then monitored the Kildonan United Church on Kilbride Ave and while she saw 8 swifts flying near to the chimney, she didn’t see any entries or exits. She returned to this site during the roosting hour on June 18, but saw no entries or exits (though the rain may be a factor).

That wraps up our monitoring recap. Thanks for reading!  

Priority site list (updated June 20):

Community	Neighbourhood	Address	Site name	Observer
Carman	–	2nd St	Private residence
Dauphin	–	404 1st St. SW	St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Eriksdale	–	16 Railway Avenue	St John’s Anglican Church/Eriksdale Museum
Melita	–	Veteran’s Way	Private residence
Pilot Mound	–	Railway St	Private residence
Souris	–	5th Ave W	Private residence
Souris	–	2nd St S	Private residence	demolished
Saint-Jean- Baptiste	–	113 2nd Ave SW	Ecole Regionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste	Luc B.
Stonewall	–	336 Main St	Prairie Zen Massage
Swan River	–	518 Main Street	Commercial building
The Pas	–	627 Cathedral Ave	Cathedral Apartments
Wasagaming	–	106 Buffalo Drive	Dragonfly Delights Team Room
Winnipeg	Charleswood/Tuxedo/Westwood	Park Boulevard N	Private residence
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	71 Kennedy St	Scarsdale Apartments
Winnipeg	City Centre	100 Adelaide Street	Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg	City Centre	91 Albert Street	The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg	Daniel McIntyre	Canora St	Private residence
Winnipeg	Fort Garry	1022 Pembina Highway	Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	411 Stradbrook Ave	Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	272 Cockburn Street	King George Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	141 River Avenue	Ludlow Court Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	280 River Avenue	Moxam Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	245 Bell Avenue	Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	834 Grosvenor	Eugene Apartments	Cam T.
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	444 River Ave	Augustine United Church
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry	Balmoral St	Private residence
Winnipeg	North Kildonan	25 Valhalla Drive	Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg	Point Douglas	442 William Avenue	Filcasa Housing Coop
Winnipeg	River Heights	465A Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights	465D Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	394 Academy Road	Academy Uptown Lanes
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Dorchester Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Kylemore Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	St Boniface	780 Elizabeth Road	Arundel Apartments	Marilyn B. & Pam L.
Winnipeg	St Boniface	223 Archibald Street	Archibald Storage, large chimney	Frank M.
Winnipeg	St Boniface	865 Tache Ave.	Civic Roofing
Winnipeg	St Boniface	99 Birchdale Avenue	Nordale School
Winnipeg	St James	2285 Portage Avenue	Foodfare, St James
Winnipeg	St James	2415 Portage Avenue	Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg	St Vital	185 Fernwood Ave	St Vital – Niakwa Manor
Winnipeg	Transcona	1305 Winona Street	Transcona Collegiate	Frank M.
Winnipeg	West Broadway	39 Balmoral Street	Apartment
Winnipeg	West End	318 Home St	Mennonite Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	187 Kilbride Avenue	Kildonan United Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (B) East chimney (centre)
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (C) South chimney (right)

Thanks!

-Marissa

Hello!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the National Chimney Swift Roost Survey Protocol (NRMP) this year. The fourth and final night of NRMP was on June 2 – we will go into what was seen chimney-side in our monitoring recap below.

Our next scheduled monitoring date is on Wednesday, June 18. The goal of these monthly monitoring blitzes is to monitor as many chimneys and towers as possible, to get a snapshot of what is happening at different sites throughout the province. You can choose to monitor during the day or during the roosting hour – or both! Whatever works best for you.

Consistent daytime entries and exits are already being observed at some nesting sites, while some sites are still being used primarily during the roosting hour. As we move into further into June (and the swifts continue to build their nests and begin incubating), daytime activity should become more and more consistent.

If you are interested in checking out a new site, please take a look through our priority site list (we include an updated list at the end of each blog post). Alternatively, there are many many sites in our database and they are not all checked regularly. If you see a site in the database that you are interested in checking out, it would be great to know if they are currently being used by swifts!

Quick note: we don’t include the house numbers for private residences on the website, but if there is a private residence you are interested in monitoring, please send us an email.

The monitoring results from 2021-2024 which includes the site list can be found here: https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/Documents/2024_2021_database.pdf

Monitoring recap

Dauphin

Ken watched the Malcolm Block building (the main roost site in Dauphin) on June 3, and saw 19 swifts entered the chimney.

Dominion City

We’ve gotten word from Dave in Dominion City that the swifts have returned to his chimney on Coulter St. He’s seen at least 1 swift enter his chimney and has seen up to 4 swifts flying around, so there may be some more sites here! Exciting.

La Broquerie

Frank watched the St Joachim Church in La Broquerie and saw lots of activity! At the large chimney, there were 6 entries and 1 exits for a total of 5 swifts roosting in the chimney. At the small chimney, 1 swift entered during the roosting hour.

Lockport

On June 5, Gerald monitored the St. Andrews Lock and Dam Maintenance Compound. At the south chimney, he saw 2 entries at 9:24pm. At the north chimney, he saw 1 exit at 8:39pm, 1 entry at 9:21pm, 1 exit at 9:29pm, and 1 entry at 9:30pm. Great to see that there is activity at both chimneys now, including a daytime exit in the north chimney indicating that nest building is likely underway!

Lower Fort Garry

On June 2, Gerald watched the Fur Loft and the Men’s House chimneys at Lower Fort Garry. At the Fur Loft, he saw 2 entries around 8:35pm, 2 exits at 8:44pm, and 2 entries around 9:11pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). At the Men’s House, he saw 1 exit at 8:36pm, 1 entry at 8:47pm, 1 entry at 8:39pm, 1 exit at 8:51pm, and 2 entries around 9:08pm (3 swifts roosting in the chimney).

Morden

Marvin, Evelyn and Marty watched Lucky’s Chinese Restaurant and the Pembina Hills Arts Centre on June 2. They only saw 2 swifts during the monitoring session, which appeared and flew straight towards the chimney. They saw 1 entry at Lucky’s and did not see the other swift fly into the chimney, so it’s unclear where the other swift went. There were no entries at the Arts Centre.

Otterburne

Brett watched the 3 chimneys at Providence College. At the “large chimney” (site 551), he saw 1 exit at 8:56pm. At the “skinny chimney” (site 552), he saw 2 entries around sunset time.

Portage la Prairie

Gordon monitored the Trinity United Church on June 4. At the south chimney, he saw 1 exit at 9:08pm, 1 entry at 9:52pm, and 1 entry at 10:04pm.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

Luc monitored the church on June 2 and saw 5 entries and 1 exit during the roosting hour, with a final count of 4 swifts in the chimney.

Selkirk

There has been a LOT of swift activity at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre so far this year, much of which has been difficult to interpret. It will be very interesting to see what unfolds this season at each of the 4 towers and 2 chimneys!

On NRMP Night 4 (June 2), Nia and Linda watched the Yellow Brick chimney and T04. At the Yellow Brick chimney, they saw 2 entries at 9:20pm, 1 exit at 9:30pm, 3 entries at 9:38pm, 2 exits and 1 entry around 9:42pm, and 4 entries from 9:47pm-9:52pm (5 swifts roosting in the chimney). At T04, they saw 1 entry at 9:19pm, 1 exit at 9:34pm, and 2 entries at 9:42pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). Dennis and Patti monitored the Infirmary chimney and T03. At the Infirmary, Patti and Dennis saw 2 entries at 8:53pm, 2 exits at 9:05pm, 1 entry at 9:35pm, 1 exit at 9:39pm, and 2 entries at 9:40pm (2 swifts roosting in the chimney). At T03, there were 29 entries and 12 exits between 8:59pm and 9:55pm! There were up to 21 swifts in the tower at once, and 17 swifts in the tower at the end of the roosting tower. Fred and Nettie watched T01 and saw 3 entries at 8:15pm, 1 exit at 8:16pm, 1 exit at 8:19pm, 1 entry at 8:33pm, 1 exit at 8:41pm, 1 entry at 8:55pm, 1 exit at 9:01pm, and 5 more entries spread out between 9:12pm-9:47pm (6 swifts roosting in the tower). Lisa and Monty watched T02 and saw 5 entries between 9:03pm-9:57pm (5 swifts roosting in the tower). 

Tim and Amy H. monitored at SMHC on June 3 during the daytime. They saw no activity at T01, T02 and T04. At T03, there was 1 entry at 10:38am and 1 exit at 10:42am. 

On June 8, Lisa and Monty watched T02 and saw 5 entries between 9:25pm and 10:02pm.  Dennis and Pattie watched T03 and the Infirmary chimney. At the Infirmary, they saw 2 entries around 9:38pm, 1 entry at 9:50pm, 2 exits at 9:51pm, 1 entry at 9:57pm, 1 exit at 9:58pm, 3 entries at 10:00pm, and 1 exit at 10:03pm. That’s up to 4 swifts in the chimney at once, but only 3 in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour. At T03, there was even more activity! From 9:08pm to a little past 10pm, there were 17 entries and 9 exits, with up to 9 swifts in the tower at once but only 8 swifts in at the end of the roosting hour. It is possible that more swifts may have entered these sites after dark. A late night for the swifts!

St. Adolphe

Barb has been keeping a close eye on the sites in St Adolphe. As of June 8, all 5 nesting sites were occupied, with the breeding pairs in nest building mode. Great news!  

St. Norbert

Blaire monitored the St. Norbert Behavioural Health Foundation on May 29 and June 2. On May 29, she saw 2 entries at 9:07pm. On June 2, she observed 2 entries at 9:29pm.

Winnipeg

Chantel and Evan monitored 424 River on June 2 (NRMP Night 4) and saw 160 swifts enter the chimney during the roosting hour.

Amy M. watched the Moorgate on June 2 and saw 4 entries during the roosting hour.

Cain monitored the Fleetwood Apts and the Lothian Block (154 Evanson St) on June 2 and saw no entries at either site.

Cam monitored the Assiniboine School on June 3 and though he saw 6 swifts overhead, only 1 swift entered the chimney during the roosting hour.

Jo and Betsy watched the Assiniboine Park Zoo tower on June 2 and saw 2 exits at 9:07pm, 1 entry at 9:16pm, and 1 entry at 9:19pm.

John watched the chimney at CMU on June 2 and while he saw up to 3 swifts overhead, he only saw 1 entry at 9:19pm. He mentions that he was interrupted several times by people who had questions, so it was difficult to concentrate on the swift counting and may have missed a couple entries. Graham and Tyler monitored this chimney on June 10 and saw 4 entries between 9:14pm-9:55pm.

Blair has been busy monitoring different sites in St-Boniface. He started NRMP Night 4 off with a quick stop at Springs Christian Academy (261 Youville St) during which he saw 2 entries at 9:07pm. He then headed to the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (340 Provencher Blvd) for the remainder of the roosting hour. While he saw 2 swifts flying in the area, he did not see any entries or exits at this site.

On June 1, Blair spent 15 minutes at 690 St Joseph St and saw 3 entries.  On June 3, Blair watched Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (188 St Mary’s Rd) and saw 1 exit at 9:18pm followed by 2 exits at 9:21pm. On June 10, Blair monitored Eurocraft Office Furnishings (847 Marion St) and saw no activity. He also watched the Fire Hall (864 Marion St) and saw 1 entry at 9:08pm. On June 11, Blair monitored The Riverside (531 St Mary’s Rd) and saw 2 entries around 9:12pm.

Garry monitored 722 Watt St on June 4. Though he had previously observed 5 swifts flying around the chimney on a few occasions in May, only 2 swifts were seen entering the chimney for the night on June 4.

On June 4, Gwen monitored the Curtis Hotel on Henderson Hwy and saw 2 entries around 9:33pm.

On June 4, Marilyn and Pam monitored 780 Elizabeth Road (Arundel Apartments) which is on our priority site list. They saw 2 entries at 9:26pm – woohoo, priority site = confirmed!

Marilyn and Pam also monitored another priority site, 865 Tache Ave (Civic Roofing), on May 21 but did not see any activity. On June 11, Marilyn and Pam monitored St Mary’s Road United Church and saw 2 exits at 8:45pm, and 2 entries at 9:41pm. This site hasn’t had confirmed swifts in a few years, so it’s great to know they are back.

That’s all for now. Thanks everyone!

Priority site list (June 12):

Community	Neighbourhood	Address	Site name	Observer
Carman	–	2nd St	Private residence
Dauphin	–	404 1st St. SW	St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Eriksdale	–	16 Railway Avenue	St John’s Anglican Church/Eriksdale Museum
Melita	–	Veteran’s Way	Private residence
Pilot Mound	–	Railway St	Private residence
Souris	–	5th Ave W	Private residence
Souris	–	2nd St S	Private residence
Saint-Jean- Baptiste	–	113 2nd Ave SW	Ecole Regionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste	Luc B.
Stonewall	–	336 Main St	Prairie Zen Massage
Swan River	–	518 Main Street	Commercial building
The Pas	–	627 Cathedral Ave	Cathedral Apartments
Wasagaming	–	106 Buffalo Drive	Dragonfly Delights Team Room
Winnipeg	Charleswood/Tuxedo/Westwood	Park Boulevard N	Private residence
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	71 Kennedy St	Scarsdale Apartments
Winnipeg	City Centre	100 Adelaide Street	Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg	City Centre	91 Albert Street	The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg	Daniel McIntyre	Canora St	Private residence
Winnipeg	Fort Garry	1022 Pembina Highway	Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	411 Stradbrook Ave	Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	272 Cockburn Street	King George Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	141 River Avenue	Ludlow Court Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	280 River Avenue	Moxam Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	245 Bell Avenue	Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	834 Grosvenor	Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	444 River Ave	Augustine United Church
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry	Balmoral St	Private residence
Winnipeg	North Kildonan	25 Valhalla Drive	Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg	Point Douglas	442 William Avenue	Filcasa Housing Coop
Winnipeg	River Heights	465A Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights	465D Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	394 Academy Road	Academy Uptown Lanes
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Dorchester Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Kylemore Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	St Boniface	780 Elizabeth Road	Arundel Apartments	Marilyn B. & Pam L.
Winnipeg	St Boniface	223 Archibald Street	Archibald Storage, large chimney
Winnipeg	St Boniface	865 Tache Ave.	Civic Roofing
Winnipeg	St Boniface	99 Birchdale Avenue	Nordale School
Winnipeg	St James	2285 Portage Avenue	Foodfare, St James
Winnipeg	St James	2415 Portage Avenue	Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg	St Vital	185 Fernwood Ave	St Vital – Niakwa Manor
Winnipeg	Transcona	1305 Winona Street	Transcona Collegiate
Winnipeg	West Broadway	39 Balmoral Street	Apartment
Winnipeg	West End	318 Home St	Mennonite Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	187 Kilbride Avenue	Kildonan United Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (B) East chimney (centre)
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (C) South chimney (right)

Cheers,

Marissa

Monitoring Recap: NRMP Night 3 & More

Hello!

It’s officially June, and the swift numbers finally seem to be increasing in many parts of the province! Thanks for sending in your reports. Keep reading for this past week’s monitoring recap, including results from NRMP Night 3 which was on May 29.

As we gear up for NRMP Night 4 happening tonight, please remember that your health and safety is always the number one priority. As wildfires continue to burn throughout the province, there is a lot of smoke, and many regions are under air quality warnings. There is never an obligation to monitor – please do what you are comfortable with, and stay indoors if that is best for you. 

Brandon

Louanne, Sandy and Glennis were surprised and pleased to see at least 4 swifts in the downtown skies on May 28. They did not see any entries or exits into the Orange Block. Where are they roosting?! The Brandon mystery continues.

Dauphin

On May 29, Pat, Ken and Jan monitored the Watson Arts Centre, the Old Scott’s Hardware building, and the Hong Kong Café. The Hong Kong Café had 2 entries, Old Scott’s Hardware had 1 entry, and there were no entries into the Watson Arts Centre. They note that it has been quite smoky, which may be impacting the swift numbers.

La Broquerie

Frank monitored the St Joachim Church on May 29 and saw 4 entries into the large chimney and no entries into the small chimney.

Lockport

Gerald monitored the St Andrews Lock and Dam Maintenance Compound on May 27. He saw 2 entries into the north chimney (one at 8:34pm and one at 9:32pm).

Morden

Marvin and Evelyn monitored in Morden on May 31. They saw 4 swifts fly by at 9:11pm, and 1 entry into Lucky’s Chinese Restaurant at 9:27pm.

Otterburne

Brett monitored the three chimneys at Providence College on May 25 (NRMP Night 2). At the “large chimney” (site 551), he saw 2 entries at 8:48pm, and 3 entries at 9:20pm for a total of 5 swifts roosting in the chimney. At the “skinny chimney” (site 552), he saw 1 entry at 8:50pm, and 2 entries at 9:30pm for a total of 3 swifts roosting in the chimney.

On May 29, Brett monitored from 8pm-10pm. At the “large chimney » (site 551) he saw 1 entry at 8:03pm and 2 entries at 9:23pm. At the “skinny chimney” (site 552), he saw 1 entry at 8:08pm, 2 entries at 8:45pm, 1 entry at 9:12pm, and 1 entry at 9:47pm. That’s 3 swifts roosting in the large chimney and 3 swifts roosting in the skinny chimney – a switcheroo compared to May 29.

Portage la Prairie

On May 28, Gordon and Jana watched the National Indigenous Residential School Museum (formerly the Rufus Prince Building) which has 3 chimneys. There was 1 entry into the south chimney at 9:06pm. The rest of the action was all at the middle chimney. They saw 2 early entries at 8:56pm, 2 entries at 9:41pm, 3 entries followed by 2 exits around 9:50pm, and 4 entries at 9:56pm. That’s a final roosting count of 1 swift in the south chimney and 9 swifts in the middle chimney.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

On May 26, Luc monitored École régionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste which is one of our priority sites. He saw up to 8 swifts flying overhead and eventually saw 1 swift enter the chimney at 9:30pm. This marks our first confirmed priority site for 2025! We can now cross this site from our priority list. Woohoo, merci Luc!

On May 28, Luc monitored the Saint-Jean-Baptiste church. He saw 9 swifts enter the chimney, spread out between 9:03pm-9:47pm.

Selkirk

On May 29, Gerald watched the Merchant’s Hotel and did not see any activity. Winona returned to this site on May 31 and saw 1 entry at 8:50pm and 1 entry at 9:19pm. Winona also watched 367 Main St on May 30 and saw 2 entries during the roosting hour.

Night 3 of NRMP at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre was a busy one! Dennis and Pattie watched the Infirmary chimney and saw 2 exits at 8:49pm, 5 entries from 9:17pm-9:31pm, and 1 exit at 9:32pm (4 swifts in the chimney at the end of the roosting hour). At 9:34pm, there were still about 20 swifts flying overhead. Denis and Pattie also watched T03 along with Fred and Nettie, where there was a lot of activity – 1 entry at 8:51pm, 2 entries at 9:03pm, 2 exits at 9:08pm, 2 entries at 9:17pm, 1 exit at 9:23pm, 2 entries at 9:32pm, 1 exit at 9:32pm, 3 entries at 9:38pm, and 1 exit at 9:49pm (up to 6 swifts in the tower, but only 5 inside at the end of the roosting hour). Lisa and Monty watched T02 and saw 1 entry at 8:39pm, 1 entry at 9:19pm, and 1 entry at 9:42pm.  Linda watched T04 and saw 2 entries around 9:14pm, 1 exit at 9:34pm, 2 entries at 9:36pm, and 1 exit at 9:54pm (2 swifts in the tower at the end of the roosting hour). Winona watched T01 and saw 2 entries at 9:30pm.

Many volunteers noted that they continued to hear swifts around the end of the roosting hour, so it is likely that there were more entries into some of these sites after dark.

Winnipeg

Jo and Betsy have been monitoring the Assiniboine Park Zoo tower. On both May 21 and May 25, 2 swifts entered the tower during the roosting hour. On May 29, they saw 1 swift enter the tower (though they note that they may have missed a second entry).

Nicole and Cain monitored the Fleetwood Apartments (on Lenore St) and the Lothian Block Apartments (on Evanson St) on May 24. They saw 1 entry into the Fleetwood at 9:40pm, and no activity at the Lothian Block.  They watched both these sites again on May 29. This time, Nicole saw no entries at the Fleetwood, but Cain did see 2 entries at the Lothian Block at 9:07pm.

John watched the Moorgate Apartments at 2187 Portage Ave and there was lots of activity. While arriving but before officially starting to monitor, he noticed 2 entries and an exit. He saw 7 entries between 8:56pm-9:29pm, 1 exit at 9:30pm, and 1 entry at 9:30pm

Meredith monitored the Chief Peguis School on May n25 and May 29, and saw no swift activity on both nights.

Barbara, Phil and Evan watched 424 River on May 29. They counted 144 entries, the majority of which happened between 9:27pm-9:30pm. 

Amy monitored the three chimneys at the McBeth House on May 29, and saw 3 entries into the north chimney (A). The other 2 chimneys are on the priority list.

Richard and Walker monitored the chimney at the Canadian Mennonite University on May 29 and saw 3 entries.

Thank you to all our volunteers!!!

Priority site list (June 2):

Community	Neighbourhood	Address	Site name	Observer
Carman	–	2nd St	Private residence
Dauphin	–	404 1st St. SW	St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Eriksdale	–	16 Railway Avenue	St John’s Anglican Church/Eriksdale Museum
Melita	–	Veteran’s Way	Private residence
Morden	–		Private residence
Pilot Mound	–	Railway St	Private residence
Souris	–	5th Street W	Private residence
Souris	–	2nd Street S	Private residence
Saint-Jean- Baptiste	–	113 2nd Ave SW	Ecole Regionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste	Luc B.
Stonewall	–	336 Main St	Prairie Zen Massage
Swan River	–	518 Main Street	Commercial building
The Pas	–	627 Cathedral Ave	Cathedral Apartments
Wasagaming	–	106 Buffalo Drive	Dragonfly Delights Team Room
Winnipeg	Charleswood/Tuxedo/Westwood	Park Boulevard N	Private residence
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	71 Kennedy St	Scarsdale Apartments
Winnipeg	City Centre	100 Adelaide Street	Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg	City Centre	91 Albert Street	The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg	Daniel McIntyre	Canora St	Private residence
Winnipeg	Fort Garry	1022 Pembina Highway	Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	411 Stradbrook Ave	Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	272 Cockburn Street	King George Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	141 River Avenue	Ludlow Court Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	280 River Avenue	Moxam Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	245 Bell Avenue	Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	834 Grosvenor	Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	444 River Ave	Augustine United Church
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry	Balmoral St	Private residence
Winnipeg	North Kildonan	25 Valhalla Drive	Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg	Point Douglas	442 William Avenue	Filcasa Housing Coop
Winnipeg	River Heights	465A Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights	465D Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	394 Academy Road	Academy Uptown Lanes
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Dorchester Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Kylemore Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	St Boniface	780 Elizabeth Road	Arundel Apartments
Winnipeg	St Boniface	223 Archibald Street	Archibald Storage, large chimney
Winnipeg	St Boniface	865 Tache Ave.	Civic Roofing
Winnipeg	St Boniface	99 Birchdale Avenue	Nordale School
Winnipeg	St James	2285 Portage Avenue	Foodfare, St James
Winnipeg	St James	2415 Portage Avenue	Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg	St Vital	185 Fernwood Ave	St Vital – Niakwa Manor
Winnipeg	Transcona	1305 Winona Street	Transcona Collegiate
Winnipeg	West Broadway	39 Balmoral Street	Apartment
Winnipeg	West End	318 Home St	Mennonite Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	187 Kilbride Avenue	Kildonan United Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (B) East chimney (centre)
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (C) South chimney (right)

Cheers,

Marissa

The monitoring season is officially in full swing!

Overall, it seems that the swifts have been slow to arrive at most sites. Based on many reports from across the province, the counts so far seem lower than usual for this time of year. It will be interesting to see what the swift numbers are on NRMP Nights 3 and 4 (Thursday May 29 and Monday June 2).

We’ll now launch into a recap of what’s been seen chimney-side this past week, including NRMP Nights 1 and 2. Thank you to all you incredible volunteers for participating! We’re still waiting to receive the results from a few sites – friendly reminder to send in your monitoring reports by email to mbchimneyswift@gmail.com if you haven’t done so yet!

Dauphin

On May 21, Ken and Jan monitored the main roost and saw a group of 5 swifts enter the chimney, followed by a group of 7 swifts enter the chimney (total roost count of 12 swifts). Pat monitored the Hong Kong Café, and saw no activity until 1 swift appeared and entered the chimney around sunset. On May 25, Ken and Jan monitored the Watson Arts Centre and the Old Scott’s Hardware chimney and saw no swift activity at both locations.

La Broquerie

Frank monitored the church in La Broquerie on May 25 and saw 1 entry into the large chimney, and 2 entries into the small chimney.  

Lockport

Gerald monitored the St Andrews Lock and Dam Maintenance Compound in Lockport on May 19, and saw 2 entries into the north chimney at 9:08pm, followed by 2 entries at 9:15pm, followed by 1 exit at 9:15pm and 1 exit at 9:19pm. Maybe the last 2 swifts were kicked out by the first 2 swifts who may be establishing that chimney as their nest site.

Lower Fort Garry

On May 25, Gerald monitored at Lower Fort Garry. At the Men’s House, he saw 2 entries at 9:05pm. At the Fur Loft, he saw 1 entry at 9:11pm and 1 entry at 9:28pm.

Morden

Marvin monitored the Pembina Hills Art Centre on May 21 and saw no swift activity.

Otterburne

 Amy H. monitored the 3 chimneys at Providence College in Otterburne. She saw up to 13 swifts in the air at once. At the “skinny chimney” (site 552), she saw a total of 6 swifts enter the chimney, while at the “large chimney” (site 551), she saw 3 swifts enter the chimney. No activity was seen at the chimney near the bell tower (site 550). 

Portage la Prairie

Jana monitored the Trinity United Church in Portage la Prairie on May 21 and did not see any entries or exits. She did see one swift overhead 9:27pm and another one at 9:39pm.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste

On May 20, Luc monitored the Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church and saw 4 entries between  9:11pm to 9:17pm. On May 25, Luc saw up to 9 swifts in the area during his monitoring session. He saw 6 of these swifts enter the chimney between 9:21pm-9:46pm. 

Selkirk

On May 21 at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC), Gerald watched T01 and the Infirmary and saw no entries or exits at either site. At T02, Gerald saw 1 entry at 8:39pm, 1 exit at 8:43pm, and 2 entries from 9:12pm-9:16pm. At T03, Gerald saw 1 entry at 9:14pm. Nia watched the Yellow brick chimney and saw 2 entries at 9:14pm. Linda watched T04 and saw 2 entries at 9:13pm.

On May 25 at the SMHC, Fred and Nettie watched T01 and saw 3 entries at 9:21pm. Lisa and Monty watched T02 and saw 1 entry at 9:30pm and 1 entry at 9:40pm. Linda watched T04 and did not see any entries or exits. Linda also watched the Yellow Brick chimney and saw quite a bit of activity – 2 entries followed by 1 exit at 8:22pm, 1 entry at 8:24pm, 1 entry followed by 1 exit at 8:43pm, 1 entry at 9:07pm, 2 entries at 9:39pm and 1 entry at 9:47pm. That’s a total of 6 swifts in the chimney.

Dennis and Patti watched the Infirmary chimney and T03. At the Infirmary chimney, they saw 1 entry at 9:25pm, 1 exit at 9:27pm, 1 entry at 9:28pm, 1 exit at 9:30pm, 1 exit at 9:32pm, 1 exit at 9:37pm, 1 entry at 9:50pm, and 1 exit at 9:52pm (that’s 3 swifts confirmed inside the chimney, but 0 left inside the chimney at the end of the roosting hour). At T03, they saw 3 entries between 9:24pm-9:33pm, 1 exit at 9:34pm, 1 entry at 9:43pm, and 1 exit at 9:43pm (up to 3 swifts inside the chimney, but only 2 at the end of the roosting hour).

Winona watched the Merchant’s Hotel in Selkirk on May 22 and saw 2 entries at 9:04pm.

On May 25, Winona watched the apartment at 367 Main St and saw 1 entry at 8:59pm, 1 exit at 9:11pm, and 2 final entries at 9:20pm (2 swifts in the chimney).

St. Norbert

On May 25, Blaire monitored the Behavioural Health Foundation and saw 1 entry at 9:11pm. 

The Pas

Joel saw the first 2 swifts of the year in The Pas on May 21 at 10:02pm. Joel pointed out that this is the earliest he has ever noticed them in The Pas by at least 2 weeks.

Winnipeg

On May 19, Gwen monitored 139 Market Ave in Winnipeg and saw 2 swifts enter at 9:19pm.John watched the Canadian Mennonite University chimney on both NRMP nights. On May 21, he saw 4 entries into the chimney between 9:11pm-9:18pm. On May 25, he observed 3 entries between 9:31pm-9:37pm.On May 21, Cam, Jonathan and Chantel watched 424 River Ave and saw 44 entries. On May 25, Cam saw 61 entries at 424 River. On May 21, Nicole monitored the Fleetwood Apartments and saw up to 6 in the air and 2 entries at 9:12pm. On May 26, Amy H. monitored the Old Grace Housing Co-op and saw up to 4 swifts flying overhead, but did not see any entries or exits into the chimney.

That’s it for this week’s monitoring recap. Looking forward to NRMP Nights 3 & 4!

Here’s the priority site list – no sites have been confirmed yet. We will continue to update this list throughout the summer, to reflect when a site has been “checked off” the list (when swift use has been confirmed).

Priority site list (May 27)

Community	Neighbourhood	Address	Site name
Carman	–	2nd St	Private residence
Dauphin	–	404 1st St. SW	St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Eriksdale	–	16 Railway Avenue	St John’s Anglican Church/Eriksdale Museum
Melita	–	Veteran’s Way	Private residence
Morden	–		Private residence
Pilot Mound	–	Railway St	Private residence
Souris	–	5th Street W	Private residence
Souris	–	2nd Street S	Private residence
St Jean Baptiste	–	113 2nd Ave SW	Ecole Regionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Stonewall	–	336 Main St	Prairie Zen Massage
Swan River	–	518 Main Street	Commercial building
The Pas	–	627 Cathedral Ave	Cathedral Apartments
Wasagaming	–	106 Buffalo Drive	Dragonfly Delights Team Room
Winnipeg	Charleswood/Tuxedo/Westwood	Park Boulevard N	Private residence
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	71 Kennedy St	Scarsdale Apartments
Winnipeg	City Centre	100 Adelaide Street	Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg	City Centre	91 Albert Street	The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg	Daniel McIntyre	Canora St	Private residence
Winnipeg	Fort Garry	1022 Pembina Highway	Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	411 Stradbrook Ave	Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	272 Cockburn Street	King George Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	141 River Avenue	Ludlow Court Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	280 River Avenue	Moxam Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	245 Bell Avenue	Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	834 Grosvenor	Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	444 River Ave	Augustine United Church
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry	Balmoral St	Private residence
Winnipeg	North Kildonan	25 Valhalla Drive	Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg	Point Douglas	442 William Avenue	Filcasa Housing Coop
Winnipeg	River Heights	465A Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights	465D Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	394 Academy Road	Academy Uptown Lanes
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Dorchester Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Kylemore Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	St Boniface	780 Elizabeth Road	Arundel Apartments
Winnipeg	St Boniface	223 Archibald Street	Archibald Storage, large chimney
Winnipeg	St Boniface	865 Tache Ave.	Civic Roofing
Winnipeg	St Boniface	99 Birchdale Avenue	Nordale School
Winnipeg	St James	2285 Portage Avenue	Foodfare, St James
Winnipeg	St James	2415 Portage Avenue	Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg	St Vital	185 Fernwood Ave	St Vital – Niakwa Manor
Winnipeg	Transcona	1305 Winona Street	Transcona Collegiate
Winnipeg	West Broadway	39 Balmoral Street	Apartment
Winnipeg	West End	318 Home St	Mennonite Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	187 Kilbride Avenue	Kildonan United Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (B) East chimney (centre)
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (C) South chimney (right)

Thanks!

Marissa

2025 Monitoring Info & Event Recap

It’s official, the swifts are BACK! The first reported sightings were on May 6, in Winnipeg and in Souris. Since then, the reports have been steadily flowing in from all over the province! Thanks everyone for sending in your observations.

The official blog monitoring recaps will start next week. For now, here’s some info about the upcoming monitoring season, as well as a little recap of our season kick-off event that took place earlier this week.

Monitoring Info 2025

Datasheet & protocol: The datasheet and protocol for 2025 can be found on the Resources and Links page of our website. We now also have a French version of the datasheet and protocol – thank you to Luc Blanchette for translating them.

The protocol is where you will find full monitoring instructions, including start/end times, duration, safety information, instructions on how to fill out the datasheet, etc. In the protocol, we also go over the differences between roost hour monitoring and daytime nest monitoring, and what type of monitoring is best based on the time of year. Not much has changed from last year’s protocol, other than the dates (which I will mention again below).

Volunteer sign-up form: Please fill out the volunteer sign-up form for 2025 (for new and returning volunteers):  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfRHcAI2bjFEAFB8DA2SKmQ9o8XdueANES4kFtO7d41cIyxyg/viewform

NRMP dates: The National Roost Survey (“NRMP”) dates are May 21, May 25, May 29, and June 2. If you are free to do a roost monitoring session on one or any of these nights, let us know. Otherwise, you can begin monitoring whenever works for you!

Monitoring blitzes: We will be holding monthly monitoring ‘blitzes’ throughout the season. The goal is to get a snapshot of what is going on at swift sites across the province, by monitoring as many sites as possible on a given night. Monitoring can be done during the day or during the roosting hour. The blitz dates are: June 18, July 16, August 19.

Resources: If you would like a volunteer lanyard, factsheets to hand out to the public, or any other monitoring resources, please let us know!

Priority sites: Every year we have a list of priority sites to monitor. These priority sites are chimneys that haven’t had confirmed use by swifts in a few years, so we want to reaffirm these sites as important Chimney Swift habitat. For these sites, the goal is to see an entry or an exit – once we’ve had a confirmed observation of a swift using that chimney, we can cross that site off our priority list. We will update the list on the blog every week. The list will be at the end of this blog post. Please note that the private residences don’t have the whole

Season kick-off event recap

On Wednesday, May 14^th we held our second annual season kick-off event at Assiniboine Park. It was a lovely evening with a great turn out of around 30 people. Thank you everyone who came out! We spent the evening talking about swifts, eating, and visiting. A group of us ended off the evening with a swift watch at the Assiniboine Park Zoo tower, during which we saw 2 swifts enter the tower. A big thank you goes out to Assiniboine Park Conservancy for letting us use the space and for their help throughout the event. Thank you to Wild Birds Unlimited, Barb & Rob Stewart, Stephen Petersen, and Lewis Cocks for their generous door prize donations.

Can’t wait to see what the NRMP monitoring nights bring. As always, please contact us if you have any questions, comments, or would like to be matched with another site.

Wishing you all a lovely long weekend!

-Marissa

Priority site list (May 16)

Community	Neighbourhood	Address	Site name
Carman	–	2nd St	Private residence
Dauphin	–	404 1st St. SW	St. Paul’s Anglican Church
Eriksdale	–	16 Railway Avenue	St John’s Anglican Church/Eriksdale Museum
Melita	–	Veteran’s Way	Private residence
Morden	–		Private residence
Pilot Mound	–	Railway St	Private residence
Souris	–	5th Street W	Private residence
Souris	–	2nd Street S	Private residence
St Jean Baptiste	–	113 2nd Ave SW	Ecole Regionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Stonewall	–	336 Main St	Prairie Zen Massage
Swan River	–	518 Main Street	Commercial building
The Pas	–	627 Cathedral Ave	Cathedral Apartments
Wasagaming	–	106 Buffalo Drive	Dragonfly Delights Team Room
Winnipeg	Charleswood/Tuxedo/Westwood	Park Boulevard N	Private residence
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	222 York Ave	Brink’s Canada
Winnipeg	City Centre	71 Kennedy St	Scarsdale Apartments
Winnipeg	City Centre	100 Adelaide Street	Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg	City Centre	91 Albert Street	The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg	Daniel McIntyre	Canora St	Private residence
Winnipeg	Fort Garry	1022 Pembina Highway	Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	411 Stradbrook Ave	Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	272 Cockburn Street	King George Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	141 River Avenue	Ludlow Court Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	280 River Avenue	Moxam Court
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	245 Bell Avenue	Children’s Education Funds Inc
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	834 Grosvenor	Eugene Apartments
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge	444 River Ave	Augustine United Church
Winnipeg	Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry	Balmoral St	Private residence
Winnipeg	North Kildonan	25 Valhalla Drive	Valhalla Gardens
Winnipeg	Point Douglas	442 William Avenue	Filcasa Housing Coop
Winnipeg	River Heights	465A Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights	465D Lanark St	Lanark Gardens
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	394 Academy Road	Academy Uptown Lanes
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Dorchester Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	River Heights/Fort Garry	Kylemore Ave	Private residence
Winnipeg	St Boniface	780 Elizabeth Road	Arundel Apartments
Winnipeg	St Boniface	223 Archibald Street	Archibald Storage, large chimney
Winnipeg	St Boniface	865 Tache Ave.	Civic Roofing
Winnipeg	St Boniface	99 Birchdale Avenue	Nordale School
Winnipeg	St James	2285 Portage Avenue	Foodfare, St James
Winnipeg	St James	2415 Portage Avenue	Essex House, pest cage
Winnipeg	St Vital	185 Fernwood Ave	St Vital – Niakwa Manor
Winnipeg	Transcona	1305 Winona Street	Transcona Collegiate
Winnipeg	West Broadway	39 Balmoral Street	Apartment
Winnipeg	West End	318 Home St	Mennonite Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	187 Kilbride Avenue	Kildonan United Church
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (B) East chimney (centre)
Winnipeg	West Kildonan	31 McBeth St	McBeth House (C) South chimney (right)

View the Priority Sites list as a pdf

Join us Wednesday, May 14 at the Assiniboine Park Zoo to kick off the 2025 Chimney Swift season with food, door prizes, and great company! We can’t wait to visit and show our appreciation for all the hard work and dedication our volunteers have put in. RSVP required (link below at end of this post).

This event will be taking place in the multi-purpose room of the Leatherdale International Polar Bear Conservation Centre in the Assiniboine Park Zoo (same location as last year). There will be volunteers at the Special Events Entrance of the Assiniboine Park Zoo (54 Zoo Dr) to let participants in between 6:40 pm – 7:00pm.

At 7 pm, Marissa (MCSI coordinator) will start the evening off with a short presentation on Chimney Swifts and what we know (and don’t know) about their use of trees and other natural habitats for nesting/roosting. Marissa will also share updates on the monitoring season and give out some door prizes. We will also have resources to distribute including MCSI volunteer badges and lanyards, and Chimney Swift factsheets. After that, there will be time to visit and enjoy some snacks.

At around 8:15pm, we will move outdoors for a group swift watch at the zoo’s artificial tower (weather permitting).

Please RSVP on Eventbrite, at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mcsi-season-kick-off-event-2025-tickets-1350002286179?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl

If you have any questions or want more information, please send us an email at: mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

Thanks!

Marissa

Save The Dates: 2025 Season Kick-off Event & Monitoring Nights
Hello and happy spring! With the swift season quickly approaching, here are some important dates to mark down in your calendars.
-Season Kick-off Event: Wednesday May 14^th @ 7 pm, Assiniboine Park Zoo (54 Zoo Drive)
Last year we held our first ever season kick-off/volunteer appreciation event. It was a great success, so we’ve decided to do it again this year! Join us at the Assiniboine Park Zoo on the evening of May 14^th for a presentation, food, visiting, door prizes, and a group swift watch!

More details and a registration link to come next week.

-National Chimney Swift Roost Survey Dates:

• Wednesday May 21^st
• Sunday May 25^th
• Thursday May 29^th
• Monday June 2^nd  

-Monthly Monitoring Blitzes:

• Wednesday June 18^th
• Wednesday July 16^th
• Tuesday August 19^th

The monitoring protocol, datasheets and other 2025 monitoring season updates will be shared in May.

Stay tuned for more information! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.

Cheers!
-Marissa

Hello, and happy April! The swift season is just around the corner – more on that in the coming weeks. For now, it’s time to unveil our 2025 Swift Champions!  

Providence University College & Theological Seminary

Providence University College & Theological Seminary, located in Otterburne, is an important place for Chimney Swifts. This site has 3 chimneys that have been consistently used by swifts since they were first monitored in 2012. Last year, we worked with Providence’s Director of Facilities, Darrell Friesen, to organize the cleaning of all 3 chimneys. There was quite an interesting situation in one of the chimneys – this chimney is divided into two flues, and one of the sides was inhabited by a colony of bees! The presence of the bees became quite apparent when the honey began oozing out of the clean-out trap, onto the nearby floor. Darrell worked with an apiarist to move the colony. This year, MCSI funded the repair of 2 of the chimneys. We want to thank Providence University College, and Darrell, for being so enthusiastic about the Chimney Swifts and working with us to make sure the important swift habitat stays in good condition.

Garry Budyk

Garry Budyk, a long-time MCSI volunteer, has played a vital role in monitoring swifts in the Kildonan area of Winnipeg. He has been consistently monitoring the chimney at 712 Watt St for many years, gathering important long-term data on this nesting site. In fact, Garry was the one who first discovered this swift chimney back in 2015! Thanks to the many hours Garry has spent watching this chimney every summer, we have consistent, thorough and detailed information on the nesting dynamics at this site, which is also very helpful for gauging nesting dynamics on a larger scale. Beyond monitoring, Garry has also helped with outreach to the Watt St chimney property managers. In addition to volunteering with MCSI, Garry also contributes his time and birding skills to many other local initiatives, and is a wonderful member of the birding community. Thanks Garry!

Barbara & Phil Barnett

Barbara and Phil Barnett are two incredible volunteers who have both spent countless hours monitoring the years. They have been an invaluable presence in Osborne Village, which is a hotspot for Chimney Swifts in Winnipeg. Barbara and Phil have monitored almost every single site in the neighbourhood, including the big roost on River Ave. One summer, they even succeeded in monitoring every site within a few days by splitting up to tackle different nearby chimneys! Barbara and Phil are wonderful ambassadors for Chimney Swifts, spreading the word whenever the opportunity arises – conversations with local residents, passers-by, neighbours, friends, etc. Through their friendliness and enthusiasm, they have managed to recruit more than a few new swift volunteers. Thanks, Barbara and Phil!

Luc Blanchette

Luc Blanchette has been our eyes in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste skies for many years. Luc regularly monitors the Parish Church in Saint-Jean-Baptist, which is used by roosting Chimney Swifts every spring. Luc also discovered another site in Saint-Jean-Baptiste in 2018, when he saw 2 Chimney Swifts enter the school chimney (École regionale Saint-Jean-Baptiste).

Luc has translated many MCSI factsheets into French, and was key in helping us build relationships with swift sites in Saint-Jean-Baptiste. In 2015, Luc asked the Parish Church if he could access the chimney clean-out trap. With the church’s approval, Luc was able to inspect the chimney’s contents. The presence of old swift nests confirmed that this chimney had been used as a nesting site. The church then became the recipient of our first Swift Champion award.

Luc has spent countless hours chimney-side, but one evening was particularly eventful. Here’s the story, in Luc’s words: “Just for the records, I might have missed some entries because I was distracted during the count by two police officers. Someone in town called the police saying there was a stranger parked in the church area with binoculars… I have been in town for only 17 years… Anyway, after letting them know who I was (driver’s licence and all), what I was doing and describing chimney swifts, their nesting habits and the MCSI monitoring program, they left, laughing.”  Ah, the perils of swift watching. We appreciate the dedication! Merci, Luc!  

Thank you to our Swift Champions. Thank you as well to ALL of our volunteers. Our program would not exist without you. Thank you for your time, dedication, and energy – we appreciate it so much.

-Marissa

It is with sadness that we belatedly report the passing of Neil Butchard.

Neil served on the steering committee of the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative from its earliest days, and he participated for many years. In addition to his service on our committee, he was an avid photographer, frequent contributor to Manitoba Birding on Facebook, and a well-regarded and skilled guide at Fort Whyte Alive.

On a biographical note, here are a few details from a tribute on Facebook:

After his internship at the Children’s Medical Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he returned to Manitoba and spent his career as a school psychologist and Clinical Psychologist in Manitoba. During this time, he touched many lives. Along with his best friend Bob Spencer they formed WEVAS Inc. that helped trained individuals on effective and humane ways of dealing with children and adolescence, who were aggressive and violent. He also did some teaching at both universities and sat on various boards. For a time he was acting director of the Children and Youth Secretariat.

Neil obviously left a lasting impression on those he encountered as evidenced by the following observations posted after Neil’s obituary in the Winnipeg Free Press Passages section (February 1, 2025):

“A bright light has somewhat been extinguished and it will be hard to imagine Neil being gone because he lived life with such positive energy. It was fun to feed a birding question or observation to him because you just knew that he would light up and relish the pursuit or chance for a new insight into nature. RIP good friend and mentor.” – Lewis Cocks

“We remember Neil as a colleague and friend. He was instrumental in the establishment of psychological support services to rural and suburban students in Manitoba. He also pioneered the use of computers for children with disabilities. He was insightful, compassionate and a great teacher.” – Keven & Gloria Van Camp

“Neil was an outstanding leader of birding walks at Fort Whyte-supportive of new birders and keen to share his love of nature. Our sincere Condolences to his family and friends.”- Louise Buelow-Smith & Eric Smith

Farewell, Neil…

CHIMNEY SWIFT NEST SITE OUTCOMES IN ST. ADOLPHE, MB, 2024

Chimney Swifts using five nest sites in St. Adolphe have been monitored annually since 2007. So, 2024 was the 18^th consecutive year of observing breeding Chimney Swifts in town. Behaviour observations plus the physical evidence seen in cleanout traps were used to assess nesting success at the Brodeur Bros./Daycare and Main St. sites. Only behaviour observations were available to assess nesting success at the SE Club Amical, NE Club Amical, and the Church sites (there are no accessible cleanout traps associated with those chimneys).

Merci et thank you to our swift-friendly landlords and tenants: S. and A. Leclerc; Paroisse St. Adolphe; the RM of Ritchot; and the staff of the St. Adolphe Child Care Centre. Your support of this Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative research program and St. Adolphe’s Chimney Swifts is appreciated!

In 2024, breeding pairs of Chimney Swifts were established at the 5 nest sites between May 20-21 and June 3. Nest building, egg laying, incubation, and hatching occurred at all sites. Unfortunately, nest failures began in July and by mid-month four nests of juveniles were lost (SE Club Amical, NE Club Amical, Brodeur Bros./Daycare and Main St.). Fortunately, the breeding pair at the Church prevailed, assisted by helpers, and fledglings took their first flights outside the chimney July 26-27.

The movement of adult Chimney Swifts from failed St. Adolphe nest sites, and the addition of out-of-town pre-migratory swifts, into the Church chimney BEFORE the young in the nest had fledged was documented for the first time in 18 years of monitoring. It was a fascinating biological event to track but it meant for wild observation periods! The maximum count was 21 Chimney Swifts using the Church on Aug. 7. Swarms of swifts dove toward the chimney before veering off or dropping quickly into the chimney. Sometimes groups of birds burst out of the chimney like popcorn. Tracking parents, established helpers, fledglings (2 at least), relocated swifts from other St Adolphe nest sites and “birds from away” meant arriving at the Church before sunrise to catch first exits of the day, coming back mid-morning to document feeding and socializing groups, then tracking swifts in the evening for roosting or nighttime occupation of the Church chimney. The last Chimney Swift seen in town in 2024 was a lone migrant on the evening of Aug. 27^th. All in all, it was a season to remember!

What should be remembered also are the years of unwavering support that Suzanne and Arthur Leclerc provided to me and the Chimney Swifts that called “Main St.” home. Heartfelt thanks are extended for all of your generous contributions! On January 1, 2025 a new family moved into the house that Arthur’s Grandfather built ~1920. While the Leclerc family’s tenure as swift “landlords” has ended, the Main St. chimney will remain as a valuable nest site for future generations of breeding Chimney Swifts in St. Adolphe. We welcome the new family who will share their special home with the swifts.

In early March, Chimney Swifts leave their wintering grounds in the Amazon Basin and begin to migrate north. Crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the birds arrive in the southern US – Texas to Florida – then continue north as they distribute themselves through the summer breeding range. We can look forward to hearing the characteristic chittering of Chimney Swifts in early to mid-May as they race about the St. Adolphe skies. Then, another year of monitoring begins.

I look forward to seeing you by the chimney sides in the spring of ’25 (year no. 19)!

Summary of Chimney Swift breeding outcomes, for five St. Adolphe nest sites in 2024. These results are based on 75 hours of observations.      

SITE	NESTING ATTEMPT?	OUTCOME OF NESTING ATTEMPT
SE CLUB AMICAL	YES	UNSUCCESSFUL; failed ~July 10-16
NE CLUB AMICAL	YES	UNSUCCESSFUL; failed ~July 10-16
BRODEUR BROS./ ST. ADOLPHE CHILDCARE CENTRE	YES	UNSUCCESSFUL; failed ~July 6-15
CHURCH	YES	SUCCESSFUL; 2+ fledglings, July 26-27
MAIN ST.	YES	UNSUCCESSFUL; failed by July 17

Prepared by Barb Stewart, Sila Consultants, February 3, 2025. sila.stewart@gmail.com