The weather continues to keep us on our toes… Extreme heat, thunderstorms, hail, etc.! This summer is full of surprises. Shoutout to our incredible volunteers for still managing to find opportunities to monitor, despite the unpredictable weather! Stay safe out there – that is always the number one priority.
This week, I am excited to report that we have crossed off another FIVE sites off our priority list! Woohoo. There are still many still left to confirm, and thankfully the season isn’t over yet! If you’d like to get involved, take a look at our site list at the end of this blog post, pick a site or two and go check it out at any time of day that works for you. All it takes is a confirmed entry or exit in the chimney to confirm that swifts are using the site – no minimum monitoring duration required.
First off, Amanda monitored the Stanley Park Apartments (2160 Portage Ave), on July 21. About 10 minutes into her monitoring session and just as a storm was brewing, she saw a swift enter into the chimney. Boom, confirmed.
On July 25, Tim briefly stopped by the Living Gospel Church which has two chimneys (both on the priority site list). He saw 2 entry/exits cycles within 20 minutes at the east chimney, but saw no entries/exits into the west chimney. We can take the east chimney off our list, but the west chimney remains to be confirmed.
On July 28, Tim spent some time visiting priority sites around downtown Winnipeg. He was able to confirm swifts at three additional sites on our priority list: Redboine Apartments (348 Assiniboine Ave), Lincoln Towers Apartment (33 Kennedy St), and The Florida (239 Colony St).
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 Str
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
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
272 Cockburn St
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
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
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
890 McMillan Ave
Milan Apartments
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
posted July 28, 2023
Stay tuned for next week’s blog for a complete monitoring update, including updates on the nesting activity at SMHC and St. Adolphe. As always, please send us an email at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com if you’ve got any questions or comments.
Hello! The weekly monitoring summary has arrived. The weather sure has been interesting, with several days of cool, windy, rainy weather. Many volunteers have reported low insect numbers and poor feeding conditions for the swifts. Low prey availability could be impacting some of the nesting swifts and may add an element of confusion when it comes to interpret their behaviour, as feeding rates could be lower than we typically expect to see during the feeding phase. Fingers crossed that feeding conditions improve, and that the swifts and their young are able to successfully fledge!
Winnipeg
In Winnipeg, Gwen observed the chimney at 139 Market Avenue on July 12 and while she saw 9 swifts flying around, she did not see any enter or exit the chimney.
On July 10, Blair visited the Riverwood Church Community Firehall (325 Talbot Ave) and observed an entry at 3:24pm and an exit at 3:25pm, and another entry at 3:51pm and exit at 3:51pm.
Blair also visited the No.9 Fire Paramedic Station (864 Marion St) on July 12 and saw one entry at 3:38pm, and an exit at 4:15pm. At 4:20pm, two swifts flew by the chimney by did not enter.
On July 17, Blair monitored both the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (340 Provencher Blvd) and the former Euro Craft Office Furnishings building (847 Marion St) during the daytime and saw no activity at both sites.
On July 19, Blair visited Niakwa Park Plaza (1310 Archibald St), one of our priority sites, during the roosting hour and observed 3 entry/exit cycles before a final entry at 9:25pm. Frank then visited this site the next day on July 20 during the roosting hour and observed 2 entry/exits and a final entry at 21:31. It is great to know and confirm that site is being used! Thanks Blair and Frank for getting another priority site crossed off our list.
On the morning of July 20, Blair monitored Springs Christian Academy (261 Youville St) and observed 4 entries and exits throughout the hour long session, with 1 swift confirmed in the chimney at once and up to 22 swifts seen in the air!
While out for a walk on July 18, Rudolf noticed a swift exiting the chimney at 1171 Kildonan Drive (a private residence) around 7 pm. This site was first discovered in 2020, but has not been regularly monitored.
On July 19, Rudolf monitored the Northdale Shopping Center. Here’s Rudolf’s recap: “Of the three potential chimneys visible, only the one at 1010 Brazier seemed to be in use. I was there from 8:45 to 9:40 p.m. During that time I saw max. 9 birds – flying together in a tight flock of 8 with one other bird nearby. At 8:48 one bird entered the 1010 Brazier Chimney and less than a minute later two birds exited. One bird entered at 9:26 and was not seen exiting anymore – obviously went to roost. By 9:40 when I left at least one bird could still be heard overhead, but it became too dark to see.”
Donna checked out the apartment building at 834 Grosvenor Ave as well as two chimneys at Lanark Gardens (465 Lanark St) which are all on our priority site list, and did not see any swift activity.
Lower Fort Garry
Moving north, Gerald was at Lower Fort Garry on July 11 during the roosting hour. He saw 5 entry/exit cycles at the Fur Loft (maximum of one swift confirmed in the chimney at once). Gerald also observed the Men’s House and counted 5 entry/exit cycles as well as an additional exit, resulting in two swifts confirmed in the chimney at once.
Selkirk
Moving on to Selkirk…On July 14, Winona monitored the 367 Main St apartments and observed 3 entry/exit cycles with 1 swift confirmed in the chimney at once. Winona monitored the Merchant’s Hotel on July 15th during the roosting hour, and observed 1 entry at 9:29 pm.
The Selkirk Mental Health Centre continues to have high levels of activity at all 6 sites (2 chimneys and 4 artificial towers). It’s very interesting to have so much monitoring data for these sites that are in close proximity to each other. A big thank you to Gerald, Tim V, Robert, Nia, Linda, Patti, Dennis, Winona, Tim P, Baylana, Cam, and Veronica for their continued efforts in monitoring this chimney.
As has been mentioned several times in the last few blog posts, deciphering swift behaviour can be quite the challenge. Tim Poole, with the help of Barb Stewart, has put together the following summary of what is currently happening at each of the SMHC sites:
“I am going to get one more check on these towers tomorrow morning to confirm a couple of things but with Barb’s help here is how we think the nesting chimneys stand at SMHC based on the excellent data from the Selkirk Birdwatchers and our own daytime monitoring:
Yellow Brick Chimney– incubation was occurring on June 13. Hatching occurred most likely between July 4 and 10. Feeding of brooded young had shifted to non-brooded by July 17 with a good rate of feeding on July 18 as well (7-10 visits per hour). Given the above, fledging is due from August 1-10 (based on 28-30 days post hatch and hatching could occur anytime from Jul 5-10). Barb has added that a helper appears to be on site (3 birds with a high level of feeding).
Admin (Infirmary) Chimney – Still incubating June 30 but not sure exactly when shifting to feeding. Were feeding on July 10, likely non-brooded and a high rate of at least 8 visits per hour on the 18th suggests feeding is going well (and indicates a helper is on site). Given the above, we would expect fledging to occur earlier than the yellow brick.
T1 – Full incubation (>50%) only detected on June 26 and incubation still ongoing on July 10 (two incubation exchanges). Shift detected on July 17 – may already be at non-brooded suggesting hatching just after July 11 (based on lack of evidence of attending adults early in the evening and high feeding rate, including high between visit intervals). However, data on the 18th showed a bird in attendance for 45 minutes. Barb added that the 3 feeding visits per hour is normal – higher rates elsewhere reflect helpers on site – and agreed we are at a non-brooded stage.
T2 – Full incubation by June 19 with incubation exchanges on the 23rd. Up to two helpers might be attending this tower (4 roosting birds on the 4th and 10th July, 3 on the 17th). Like the Yellow brick, hatching occurred by the 10th. Tower was not attended by adults for an extended period on the 10th suggesting they may already have been at the non-brooded stage and would therefore be expected to fledge at the end of July/early August. In addition, two birds entering simultaneously on the 18th also indicates non-brooded.
T3 – Observed use in every monitoring session but no clear patterns established. 1-2 swifts each time. One roosting swift for past three sessions might suggest the other was sitting tight on eggs. Barb added some good supporting information on this one. This is the first time birds have tried to nest in this tower. It is clearly number 6 on the favourable list of sites. Barb’s direct quotes here: ‘Given that, the breeding pair are likely first timers and activity suggests lack of progress with a nesting attempt; with a 37% attendance, they are likely late nest building-egg laying at best…this is probably not going to culminate in fledged young – BUT you know how swifts love to torment us and do their sneak ‘n’ stealth routine. Got to love those cleanouts!!! Really, a big locked door to the base must be included in every tower.’
T4 – We think hatching might have occurred between July 4 and 10. Feeding rate only 3 visits on the 18th – indicating no helper on site. The 3rd roosting bird on the 17th was an interesting distraction. A late exit on the 10th June suggested that the pair were still brooded at that stage as there would have been an adult attending for most of the monitoring session. Would expect fledging therefore to occur towards the middle of August.”
Thanks to Tim and Barb for diving into the SMHC swift data, and piecing together the different clues! They should both consider detective work as a secondary career… And once again, thanks to the Selkirk Birdwatchers Club for gathering weekly data – an essential component of this detective work!
Lockport
On July 7 during the roosting hour, Gerald and Tim V monitored in Lockport and noted 2 entries into the south chimney, and 1 entry and 1 exit at the north chimney. Fred, Nettie and Tim monitored again on July 11 and 3 entries and 1 exit into the south chimney (2 swifts in the chimney at once), and 1 entry/exit cycle, followed by another entry an hour later in the north chimney. Fred, Nettie and Tim returned once again on July 18 and did not see any activity at the north chimney, but saw the following activity at the south chimney: 1 entry at 8:15 pm, 2 exits at 8:39 pm, 1 entry at 8:47 pm, and another entry at 8:50 pm.
St. Adolphe
Barb and Rob have been busy keeping an eye on the swifts at St. Adolphe. Barb’s reports from this past week at the Club Amical chimneys show how quickly things can change day to day in the swift world. Last Friday, the pair using the northeast Club Amical chimney were feeding 3 times per hour, while an incubation exchange was seen at the southeast chimney. When Barb was there on Monday, there were no swifts around the northeast site but there were 2 entry/exit cycles at the southeast chimney. On Tuesday, there was no activity at the southeast chimney while at the northeast chimney, 2 swifts entered after 45 minutes of monitoring and had not exited by the end of the 75-minute session. On Wednesday, things got exciting… 30 minutes into her monitoring session, Barb observed 15 swifts overhead, feeding and in V-displays! This large number of swifts isn’t a common occurrence for St. Adolphe. The record for the most swifts seen at once in St Adolphe was in August 2009, when 19 swifts were observed at the Church (pre-migratory roost). In addition to these 15 swifts in the air, 2 swifts exited the northeast chimney (still no activity at the southeast chimney, though). Barb went back on Thursday but did not see the same numbers. Rather, there was no activity at both the northeast and southeast Club Amical chimneys, which unfortunately indicates that nesting at both these sites has most likely failed.
On the bright side, things still seem to be on track at the other St. Adolphe sites. On Wednesday, the pair at the Church were feeding 4 times per hour, and there were exchanges at the Main St and Daycare sites.
Carman
In Carman, Jacquie monitored the Carman Memorial Hall during the morning of July 14 and noted 5 entries and 3 exits within 90 minutes, with 3 swifts observed in the chimney at once.
Dauphin
The swifts are keeping busy (and mysterious) in Dauphin. Ken writes in an email sent on July 16:
“Well, it took a few trips to get a count on the Dauphin swift chimneys but all are still occupied. The adult rotations seem to indicate they might still be sitting on eggs with only 1 to 2 per hour but we haven’t seen even moderate counts of flying insects to allow for a quick mouthful to feed young with.
It seems that swifts always throw you some sort of curve ball or a cookie crumb and this was ours: As we sat watching the roost for the roosting hour, we suddenly saw a flock of 12 swifts fly past and a short time later there were 8 with 1 going down the chimney (a total in chimney of 2). We never saw any of these other swifts by the roost chimney again that evening! Where did they go, we have no idea??”
Sounds like there may be another swift chimney somewhere in Dauphin… Keep those eyes peeled!
Hartney
In last week’s blog, we mentioned that Katharine had spotted some swifts in Hartney but wasn’t sure where they were going, as we didn’t have any confirmed sites in Hartney. Great news – Katharine has since managed to find a site in Hartney! On July 16, she spotted swifts at the Hart-Cam Museum. She returned that evening to monitor during the roosting hour and observed 2 entry/exit cycles at 9:03 pm and 9:39 pm, and a third entry at 9:48pm. At 10:09, she saw what may have been another exit but it was quite dark and with the added glare of the streetlights, she didn’t get a great look and suspects it may have been a bat. Thanks Katharine!
Souris
While out west, Katharine also monitored the Hillcrest Museum in Souris on the afternoon of July 18. She did not see any entries/exits at the Museum, but did see seven swifts in the sky. As she was leaving Souris, she happened to see 2 swifts exit the Whistling Donkey Pub, about 15 seconds apart.
Brandon
At the Orange Block in Brandon, 1 entry into the north chimney was observed during a roosting hour watch on July 12 by Sandy, Glennis, Gillian, and Louanne. On July 19, there was a lot more activity. The observers noted an entry at 8:53pm followed by an exit one minute later, another exit at 9:05pm followed by an entry at 9:07pm, an entry at 9:18pm followed by an exit at 9:19pm and another exit at 9:21pm, two entries at 9:32 and 9:33 pm, an exit at 9:34pm and an entry at 9:45pm, corresponding to three swifts observed in the chimney at once.
The Pas
We’ve received many swift reports from The Pas. On July 9, Joel noticed 2 swifts flying with cliff swallows over the Carrot River, approximately 30 kilometres west of The Pas On July 5, David saw a swift enter the Frontier Apartments chimney on 3rd street at 11:37 am, followed by an exit within a minute. On July 12, David watched this chimney again and saw an entry at 12:18 pm followed by an exit 20 seconds later, and another exit at 12:50 pm. Joel had reported hearing swifts over this site on June 26th.
Here are a few words from David about other possible swift sites (or lack thereof) in The Pas: “I have spent several lunch breaks watching this and other locations in town, and am convinced that none of the other locations are occupied. I have spent a couple of hours watching the building near Fas Gas with no luck. I have spent a couple of hours watching a chimney on second street immediately west of the tracks and seen no birds. This chimney looks wide and inviting, but it is quite short which might make it undesirable to the birds.”
Flin Flon
In Flin Flon, David noticed a ‘fantastic looking chimney’ on the MTS building and monitored for 20 minutes but did not see any swifts. We do not know of any swift sites in Flin Flon, but it is great to know that this chimney should be considered as a possible site if there are swift sightings in the future.
Priority Site List Update
Here’s an updated list of priority sites that have not yet been confirmed:
Buckle up folks, we’ve got lots of updates! It’s already mid-July – time flies! It’s not too late to check more sites off our priority list, though. Let’s keep working to protect these important swift chimneys! You can find an up-to-date list of priority sites still left to monitor at the end of this blog post.
Before jumping into our monitoring updates, we would like to start off this week’s blog by remembering Debbie Lefebre, who passed away on July 5th. Here are some words from Barb, celebrating Debbie’s incredible contributions to swift rehabilitation:
“Debbie ran Swift Care Ontario and was considered by many to be the premier Chimney Swift rehabber in Canada. After a nest dropping event in 2017, at the Lower Fort Garry Furloft nest site, arrangements were made for the juveniles to be flown to London where Debbie cared for them until their successful release. It is a testament to Debbie’s patience, dedication, and supreme capability that the swiftlets survived (they were fed hourly from 5 AM to 10 PM!), were taught how to fly, then integrated into a wild flock of London swifts.
You can refresh your memory banks by heading to these two links:
The swifts have been busy, and so have our volunteers! Many of you have been trying to determine which nesting stage swifts are at based on behaviour observed while monitoring. Barb provided a detailed and helpful explanation of the incubation and hatching stages in last year’s blog post (https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/mcsi-canada-day-blog/): “Incubation is the toughest nesting stage to pin down with respect to the date of onset. Start dates are nearly impossible to establish unless you have a nest cam or viewing port inside a tower etc. But it is possible to identify if the Chimney Swifts are incubating by using monitoring data. In ascending order of good, better, and best, I use 3 criteria which usually indicate that Chimney Swifts are on eggs. For monitoring sessions of at least 60 minutes, signs of incubation are: 1. % attendance, or time spent in the chimney, is > 50%; 2. A duration-in interval <10 min. (for an entry where a partner is not obviously flying nearby and doesn’t enter); and/or 3. A classic incubation exchange i.e., an entry followed by an exit 30-120 sec. later. Classic incubation exchanges take place 1 X hour (give or take a few minutes) at a site with 2 breeding adults.
Hatching will be telegraphed by an increase of entry/exit events to a rate of ~2-3 X hour for 6-7 days as brooded young are fed. After the young can regulate their own temperatures, both adults may leave the nest site to forage. Feeding rates for non-brooded young rise to ~4 X hour but higher rates of ~6-7 X hour are seen when a big juicy patch of insects is available locally. If 1 helper is onsite, feeding rates typically are up to ~2 times higher than at a site where only the 2 breeding adults are tending their offspring.”
To read more on this topic, check out the following past blog posts:
Let’s start our monitoring summary off in Winnipeg. We’ve got another site crossed off our priority list! Blair checked out the Riverwood Church Community Firehall (325 Talbot Ave) and observed 2 entries into the chimney. Thanks Blair!
Jennifer checked out the Nordale School at 99 Birchdale Ave (one of our priority sites) on June 24 during the daytime.While she did not see any entries or exits, she did notice four swifts fly low near the building, as well as 10-15 swifts foraging in the airspace high above where she was located. Blair also visited this site a few days later on June 26th, and also did not observe any entries/exits but also noticed up to 17 swifts flying around high up above.
Blair also observed two entries into the chimney at 690 St Joseph St on June 28, and two entries at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (188 St Mary’s Rd) on July 6.
Jon spent some time at the Living Gospel Church, another one of our priority sites, on June 27. While he did not see any entries/exits into the chimney, he did observe three or four “dive-bys” by a pair of swifts which is interesting and warrants some further investigation.
Garry visited the Pro-Tac Roofing chimney (722 Watt St) for a morning monitoring session, and observed four feeding entries and exits within 53 minutes, with a duration-in interval of about one minute between each entry and exit. As Garry mentioned, this behaviour seems to indicate they are feeding non-brooded young! Exciting stuff.
Aynsley, our program assistant, has been visiting different priority sites around Winnipeg. On July 10, she visited 25 Valhalla Drive but did not see any swifts.
Another one of our priority sites is the Cambridge Hotel, where an artificial tower has been installed. Aynsley and Ron have both spent some time watching this site, and so far there has been no swift activity observed.
Breanne monitored the Maryland Foodfare chimney four times throughout the month of June and regularly observed two swifts entering the chimney during the roosting hour.
Aynsley took a trip down to Morden on July 1 and checked out two chimneys. At the first site, Morkler’s Photos, she saw two swifts in the sky but no entries or exits in the chimney. At the second site, Lucky’s Chinese Restaurant, and did observe one entry into the chimney.
Frank monitored the St Joachim Church in La Broquerie on July 3. At the smaller chimney (site 1000-1), Frank observed three swifts enter the chimney and no exits. At the larger chimney (site 1000), Frank observed an entry at 20:47 and an exit at 20:48, followed by another entry at 20:54 and exit at 20:57, followed by two entries at 21:22 and one exit at 22:23, and a final entry at 21:30. These entry/exits with short duration-in are in line with the behaviour of feeding of non-brooded young.
Nesting is in progress at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC). Thanks to a combination of regular roosting hour monitoring by the Selkirk Birdwatchers Club as well as daytime monitoring by Tim and his students Veronica and Cam, we have a lot of data available to help us estimate nesting progress. There is swift activity at all four artificial towers and two chimneys at the SMHC, though they seem to be at various nesting stages. A big thank you to Gerald, Winona, Robert, Linda, Nia, Patti, Dennis, Tim, Veronica and Cam for helping with the SMHC monitoring!
T1 has proved to be confusing to figure out. On June 27, it seemed that the swifts at T1 were at an earlier nesting stage, with site attendance remaining under 50%. By June 30, T1’s previously low site attendance increased to 100% during an 80 minute monitoring session, suggesting that breeding is progressing at this site. During roosting hour monitoring, 3 swifts entered the chimney on June 26 while only 1 entry was observed on July 4.
The swifts at T2 have been less confusing. As of June 30, several classic incubation exchanges were observed, indicating that nesting is well underway. During roosting hour monitoring on both June 26 and July 4, four swifts were observed entering the tower at roosting hour, which suggests there are ‘helpers’ here.
The swifts at T3 did not yet have incubation exchanges by June 27, but they did have a site attendance of over 60% which pointed to incubation. On June 30 however, attendance at T3 decreased to under 50%. It is unclear what is going on at this site. During roosting hour monitoring, two swifts entered on June 26 and one swift entered the tower on July 4.
As for T4, attendance was over 50% during two monitoring sessions by June 27 and swifts were being observed using this tower during the daytime, both clues suggesting that nesting may be occurring. On June 30, the swifts begun what seemed to be incubation exchanges. Roosting hour monitoring on June 26 and July 4 both resulted in one swift entering the tower.
As for the yellow brick chimney, they had also begun what seemed to be incubation exchanges on June 30. On June 26, one swift entered the chimney during the roosting hour while on July 4, two swifts entered the chimney. The infirmary chimney is also being used regularly. One daytime entry was observed on June 30, and Robert observed two entries during the roosting hour on June 26 and July 4.
It will be interesting to see the next reports that come in for the SMHC sites and to see how nesting is progressing into July. Stay tuned!
As for the other sites in Selkirk, Winona was at the Merchant’s Hotel on June 17 and June 23, and observed one swift enter the chimney on each night. Gerald checked out the Lord Selkirk Hotel on June 26, and did not observe any swift activity. On July 4, Gerald monitored the apartment building at 367 Main St and observed four entries and two exits, with a total of two swifts in the chimney at once, suggesting that there is nesting occurring at 367 Main St.
In Lockport on June 28, Nettie, Fred and Tim noted one entry into the north chimney at St Andrews Lock and Dam Maintenance Compound during their roosting hour monitoring session. On July 5, Tim Verbiwski noticed that the swifts were entering the south chimney instead of the north chimney. On July 6, Tim once again observed more activity in the south chimney. On July 7, Gerald and Tim went back to observe once again. Interestingly, they observed one swift enter the north chimney, followed by another swift entering the south chimney a few minutes later. They then observed a swift exiting the north chimney and then entering the south chimney, resulting in two swifts being inside the south chimney. It’s hard to say what is going on here… We hope that with some daytime observations and more time, we have a better idea of if there is a breeding attempt happening at either of these chimneys.
At Lower Fort Garry during the roosting hour on June 29, Gerald observed three swifts enter the Fur Loft chimney, and two exits and three entries into the Men’s House Chimney for a maximum of two swifts in the chimney by the end of the monitoring session.
Similar to the SMHC swifts, the swifts at all five sites in St Adolphe are active but seem to be at various nesting stages. The following reports from Barb are a good reminder that swift behaviour can be highly variable from day to day, and that it can take patience and several monitoring sessions to understand what is going on. On July 6, the swifts at the northeast Club Amical chimney appeared to be at the hatching stage while the southeast Club Amical swifts had site attendance of below 30% and were observed arriving and leaving together (behaviour that doesn’t support incubation). Barb monitored these chimneys again the next day and observed not only a helper at the northeast chimney but also a helper at the southeast chimney, meaning a possible incubation! At the Church in St Adolphe, hatching occurred around June 30th, and Barb continues to observe feeding approximately 5 times per hour as well as the presence of a helper. The swifts on Main Street were showing classic incubation exchanges during the last week of June (at the same time as the Church swifts), so hatching may have taken place at this site as well.
Moving now to Southwest Manitoba… In Brandon, no swifts have been observed using the south chimney at the Orange Block building. As for the north chimney, two swifts entered the chimney on June 28 while on July 5, one entry at 21:08 was followed by an exit at 21:10, and then another entry 43 minutes later. Thanks to Louanne, Sandy, Gillian, Gwynn and Glennis for monitoring the Orange Block chimneys.
In Souris, Katharine managed to monitor five chimneys! She observed one entry and exit at both the Rock Shop and Murphey’s Irish Pub (formerly the Whistling Donkey). She also
monitored the Museum and two private residences but did not observe any use by swifts.
Katharine also saw two Chimney Swifts flying around in Hartney (which is about 20 minutes SW of Souris). We do not have any known swift sites in Hartney – Katharine did find a few potential chimneys, though. If anyone is in Hartney, please keep an eye on the sky.
That wraps up our monitoring summary for the week.
Here’s an updated list of our priority sites left to monitor. It may become easier to see if swifts are using a chimney as they may begin entering and exiting chimneys more frequently to feed their young. Let’s keep working on monitoring our priority sites to see if they are being used by swifts!
Settlement
Neighbourhood
Location
Site
Observer
Manitou
.
338 Hamilton St
St Andrews United Church
Morden
325 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
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
33 Kennedy St
Lincoln Towers Apartment
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
100 Adelaide St
Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
348 Assiniboine Ave
Redboine Apartments
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
91 Albert Str
The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
239 Colony St
The Florida
Winnipeg
East Kildonan/Elmwood
325 Talbot Ave
Riverwood Church Community Firehall
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
Fort Garry
1022 Pembina Hwy
Cambridge Hotel
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
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
272 Cockburn St
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
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
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
890 McMillan Ave
Milan Apartments
Winnipeg
St Boniface
1310 Archibald St
Niakwa Park Plaza
Winnipeg
St Boniface
340 Provencher Blvd
Centre Culturel Franco Manitoba
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
864 Marion St
No. 9 Fire Paramedic Station, 864 Marion Street
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
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
MCSI”s most wanted list
As always, please let me know if you’ve got any questions or feedback! You can reach me (Marissa) at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.
Swift Bulletin: Cuddle Puddles and Conservation-Minded Construction
Are you looking for some reading material to keep you entertained this week? We’ve got you covered!
Let’s start over on the East Coast: ‘You’ve heard of chimney swifts, but what about “barn” swifts?’Written by Rielle Hoeg (Aerial Insectivore Outreach and Data Specialist at Birds Canada), this article published on June 16th details an interesting discovery made last summer in a barn in Nova Scotia. Last summer, some residents discovered swifts using their barn as a roost. They had previously seen swifts using their barn to nest, but never as a roost. In fact, this was the first record of swifts using a barn as a roost site. At one point, they counted a whopping 94 swifts nestled together in what is referred to as a ‘cuddle puddle’! Wait, it gets better… they even managed to take a great photo of said barn ‘cuddle puddle’. The photo can be found in the article. I highly recommend giving it a read! Nothing like some warm and cuddly swift news to start your July off right. Here’s the link to the article: https://www.birdscanada.org/youve-heard-of-chimney-swifts-but-what-about-barn-swifts?utm_content=2023+June+Enews
Now for some local Manitoba content, relevant to all locations where swifts are found. Tim Poole, Barb Stewart and Rob Stewart have co-written an article on the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances on Chimney Swifts. Their work, which assesses these impacts through the review of five case studies in St. Adolphe, has been published in the latest version of the Canadian Field-Naturalist (136(4): 364-373). Overall, they found that demolition and construction activities did not appear to alter the behaviour of nesting Chimney Swifts when this work was being conducted on adjacent or nearby buildings/lots. However, Chimney Swift behaviour and nesting success was negatively affected by loud interior noises due to renovations and rooftop activities on buildings containing nest sites. If you would like to read their article, including what they recommend as best conservation practices for construction and maintenance projects that occur near Chimney Swifts, you can find it at bit.ly/43bGnZA
The ‘barn swifts’ article, as well as a wealth of other interesting swift content, can be found on the ‘Resources and Links’ page of our website.
Stay tuned for a monitoring update in next week’s blog!
Hi folks! Here’s a summary of what’s been going on in the Chimney Swift world the past few weeks, including an update on our priority sites. At the end of this blog, you will find an updated list of which priority sites still need to be monitored.
Let’s start with Winnipeg. Aynsley, our program assistant, has spent time this past week checking out different priority sites around Winnipeg to check for any use by Swifts. On June 21, she visited Valhalla Gardens in North Kildonan and while she saw 2 Swifts hanging around, she did not observe any entries or exits. On June 22, she visited 3 sites on River Ave in Osborne. While she did not observe any entries or exits at 444 River Ave and 280 River Ave, she did observe 1 entry and 1 exit at 277 River Ave which means that site is now confirmed to be used by Swifts and is crossed off our priority list to monitor.
On June 13, Gwen, Pam and Marilyn checked out the chimney at 139 Market Ave. They observed a group of up to 6 swifts flying around before sunset. At 9:06pm, 2 Swifts flew into the chimney. On June 16, Doug and Francene monitored at the Old Grace Housing Co-op but did not see any Swifts. Jon has been monitoring the chimney at 634 Broadway, and has observed a pair of Chimney Swifts regularly using this chimney. Garry has been watching the chimney at 722 Watt Street. On June 18, he observed 1 entry 54 minutes into his monitoring session. The Swift still had not exited by the time he wrapped up his monitoring session 15 minutes later. Over at the Assiniboine Park Zoo, there is a pair nesting in the artificial tower.
We’ve had a few pairs of eyes in the sky in the St Boniface area. Blair has visited several priority sites, and while he did not see any activity at 865 Tache Ave on June 21, 531 St Mary’s Rd on June 20, and 864 Marion St on June 16, he did observe a pair using the chimney at 847 Marion on June 20! That means another priority site is crossed off our list.
Blair has also been monitoring his ‘usual’ sites in St Boniface. Between June 11-14th, he observed a pair of Swifts using the chimney at all 3 of the following sites: Kaljieb Electrics (690 St Joseph St), Springs Christian Academy (261 Youville St), and Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (188 St Mary’s Rd).
Also in St Boniface, Alyssa noticed 5 Swifts overhead on June 8 while walking on Provencher Blvd so decided to investigate and watch the chimney at 690 St Joseph St. On June 9, she observed 2 Swifts entering this chimney and even caught a video of the entrance, supporting Blair’s observations at this site.
On June 19, Frank also checked out 531 St Mary’s Rd (Riverside Billiards), and like Blair, did not observe any Swift activity. He did however note that the chimney at this location is a nice brick one and is located across from the Red River, seemingly a lovely place to reside! Where are ya, Swifts?! Maybe the rent is too high… Those waterfront views aren’t cheap, even in the bird world it seems!
Frank also monitored Paramedic Fire Station No. 9, another St Boniface priority site, on June 22. He observed 2 Swifts entering the chimney, thus crossing another site off our list! Thanks, Frank.
On June 17, Tim had a day full of various Swift encounters. He observed an exit at the chimney at Nelson McIntyre Collegiate (where Blair has also observed activity), as well as an exit at the Good News Fellowship. Next was a stop at 424 River Ave – Interestingly, he observed 41 exits between 10:57 and 11:00 am. Not too far from there at the Donald and River Ave intersection, he observed a Swift making several attempts to grab twigs off a tree. The next day on June 18, he observed an exit from the old Rexall Pharmacy on Pembina.
Down in St. Adolphe, Barb and Rob report that all 5 nest sites were still active as of June 20th. Here’s an update from Barb with the specific of what she’s been seeing, to give you an idea of what kind of information she takes note of to determine what stage of nesting the Swifts are at: ‘The Church and Main St pairs have had classic incubation exchanges = the best indication of incubation; the NE club pair generally have >50% attendance & I’ve seen one partner exchange <10 min between an in/out, so they are moving along the continuum; the SE club and Brodeur pairs are still <50% attendance, so can’t call them incubating yet.’
Ron was able to spend some time monitoring in Melita on June 20. He noticed 6 Swifts in the air over the legion, and later did see 1 Swift enter the Legion Hall chimney as well as 1 Swift entering the chimney at 80 Ash Street (which is a new site). He also spent some time monitoring at the Antler River Historical Society Museum but did not observe any entries or exits.
In Brandon, the monitoring team of Louanne, Glennis, Sandy, and Gwynn and Gillian have been keeping an eye on the Orange Block building. On May 31, they observed 3 Swifts enter the North chimney. On June 7, there were no Swifts around, but this may be due to a thunderstorm earlier that evening. On both June 14 and June 21, 2 Swifts entered the North chimney. In addition to the monitoring at the Orange Block, we’ve received a few reports of Swifts observed in the airspace above Brandon. Kurt saw 1 Swift flying near 930 Victoria Ave East on May 30. Tim was in Brandon June 13-14, and noted at least 5 Swifts near the armoury in Brandon, as well as 4 Swifts around the new era school. These sightings by Tim suggest that the Orange Block is not the only site used by Swifts in Brandon. If you’re ever in Brandon, keep an eye out for Swifts and any possible Swift chimneys!
Moving northeast from Brandon, we’ve gotten exciting reports of Swift activity in Neepawa! On June 15th, Tim observed 2 Swifts entering the chimney at the Neepawa hospital, which is the first confirmed use of a chimney in this community. Kurt also observed 3 Swifts in the air in Neepawa on June 7 – his observation was near the Legion.
Gerald has been keeping us up to date on the many happenings over at Lower Fort Garry, Lockport and Selkirk.
Gerald was at Lower Fort Garry on June 12, and in addition to counting the chimneys (a whopping 15 chimneys were visible from his standpoint), he also remembered to count the Swifts! He noted several entries and exits by a pair of Swifts. At the Men’s House, he noted one exit at 8:15 pm, followed by an entrance at 8:34pm. Gerald returned to Lower Fort Garry on June 21. At around 8:40 pm, he saw 2 Swifts circling around the Men’s House. Gerald saw 1 Swift enter, but lost sight of the other one because of three cyclists passing by. Fortunately, Gerald’s video camera was on and upon review of the footage, Gerald was able to determine that the second Swift entered the chimney as well. At the Fur Loft, Gerald observed two exits, and ten minutes later observed an entry followed by another entry.
A man of many talents, Gerald took the opportunity to do some Chimney Swift outreach while at Lower Fort Garry. He briefed several cyclists and pedestrians on the Swifts, and even handed out some pamphlets – Thanks Gerald! If anyone else would like some factsheets/brochures to have on hand to hand out during monitoring sessions, please let me know and I will gladly get you some outreach materials!
As for Lockport, on June 15th, the monitoring crew composed of Fred and Nettie, and Tim noted 1 entry into the South chimney, and 3 entries into the North chimney. On June 19th, Winona and Sandi observed no entries into the South chimney, and one entry into the North chimney.
In Selkirk on June 13th, Gerald observed 2 entries into the apartment building at 361 Main St. A few days later on June 16th, Gerald checked 2 other sites in Selkirk, including 241 Manitoba Ave and one of our priority sites, The Lord Selkirk Hotel (420 Main St). While there was no Swift activity at 241 Manitoba Ave, Gerald did observe 1 Swift enter the Lord Selkirk Hotel chimney, crossing this site off our priority list. Woohoo! Also in Selkirk, Winona observed 1 entry into the Merchant’s Hotel on June 17th.
The Selkirk Mental Health Centre has been busy, as usual. On June 13th, Winona observed 2 entries into T01, Pattie and Dennis observed 3 entries into T02, Robert observed 1 entry into the infirmary chimney and 1 entry into T03, and Nia and Linda observed 2 entries into the yellow brick chimney and 1 entry into T04. On June 19th, Gerald noted 2 entries into T01, Pattie and Dennis reported 1 exit followed by 3 entries into T02, Robert noted 2 entries, then 1 exit, then 2 more entries into the infirmary chimney and 2 entries into T03, and Nia and Linda saw 1 entry into T04 and 3 entries into the Yellow Brick chimney.
Over in the Portage La Prairie area, Gordon watched the Rufus Prince Building on June 8 and observed 11 entries and 1 exit. Not far from Portage near Southport, Carrie reported 2 Chimney Swifts in her yard on June 16th which is her first sighting in this area in nearly 5 years! The nearest breeding chimney is in Southport, about 3 km away.
In Steinbach, Frank spent some time watching the hospital on June 13. Here’s what he saw, in Frank’s words: “The good news is that three CHSW were visually and vocally in the area, but I did not see any entries. On three occasions, I saw CHSW so close to the chimney that I initially thought they were rapid entries or exits. At 21:31 one CHSW veered away from the left chimney vent at the last possible instant (and apparently never returned).”
Up in The Pas, Joel has reported lots of activity. On June 2nd, he saw 4 Swifts over Bignell Ave, with 2 Swifts gathering twigs before disappearing. On June 9th, he saw 2 Swifts over Bignell. On June 16th, he saw 1 Swift enter the Frontier Apartments building, at the corner of 3rd and Ross Ave. Later that day, he saw 2 Swifts fly over the Wescana, not far from Via Rail.
Alright, to sum that up… With the help of you incredible volunteers, since our last update we’ve managed to confirm use by Chimney Swifts at an additional 4 priority sites, including 420 Main Street in Selkirk (Lord Selkirk Hotel), and 3 sites in Winnipeg: 277 River Ave (Royal Oak Court Apartments), 864 Marion St (Fire Paramedic Station No. 9), 847 Marion St (formerly EuroCraft Office Furnishings). That brings us to a total of 7 confirmed priority sites this year!
If you need a refresher on our priority site monitoring plan, check out last week’s blog post. Here’s an updated list of our priority sites to monitor for the summer, with these newly confirmed sites crossed off the list:
Settlement
Neighbourhood
Location
Site
Observer
Manitou
.
338 Hamilton St
St Andrews United Church
Morden
325 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
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
33 Kennedy St
Lincoln Towers Apartment
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
100 Adelaide St
Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
348 Assiniboine Ave
Redboine Apartments
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
91 Albert Str
The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
239 Colony St
The Florida
Winnipeg
East Kildonan/Elmwood
325 Talbot Ave
Riverwood Church Community Firehall
Winnipeg
Fort Garry
1022 Pembina Hwy
Cambridge Hotel
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
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
272 Cockburn St
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
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
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
890 McMillan Ave
Milan Apartments
Winnipeg
St Boniface
1310 Archibald St
Niakwa Park Plaza
Winnipeg
St Boniface
340 Provencher Blvd
Centre Culturel Franco Manitoba
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
864 Marion St
No. 9 Fire Paramedic Station, 864 Marion Street
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
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
As always, please let me know if you’ve got any questions or feedback! You can reach me (Marissa) at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.
The monitoring plan for the remainder of the breeding season
While our official roost monitoring evenings are done, we do continue monitoring throughout the nesting season. You can keep monitoring your usual chimney or help us confirm use by swifts at our priority sites. Occasional observations as well as consistent monitoring are both valuable.
Barb elegantly puts in words the benefits of these different approaches in a past blog post: “Along the way your monitoring sessions will add puzzle pieces to the overall picture. Infrequent, short sessions gather puzzle pieces with snippets of information; these are very good for verification of site use. Frequent, lengthy sessions harvest more robust puzzle pieces that have more information in them; these are necessary for identifying stages of nesting.”. Basically, doing what you can, when and where you can, is all helpful and helps us bring together the countless pieces of the greater Chimney Swift puzzle.
Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of how to help us monitor priority sites, as well as how to monitor a nesting chimney during breeding season.
Priority sites
Below is a list of our priority sites to monitor in 2023. We want to know if Chimney Swifts are using these chimneys. Confirming use of these chimneys by swifts (an entry or exit) will confirm them as protected ‘residences’ under the Proposed Chimney Swift Recovery Strategy. Monitoring at these sites can be done at any time of day – the key is to see an entry or an exit by a swift.
Here’s how you can help: Take a look the list, pick a site or two that you would like to check out, go take a look to see if there any swifts using this chimney and let us know what you see! Once we get a report from someone saying they’ve observed an entry/exit at a site, we will cross that site off our list and let everyone else know that this site no longer needs to be monitored. We will be posting an updated list on the blog weekly, so that volunteers can see what sites still need to be monitored and which sites have been ‘checked off’. A collaborative scavenger hunt of sorts, with important implications for Chimney Swift conservation!
Three of these sites have already been crossed off our list, which is exciting! Amanda observed a swift entering the chimney at 2150 Portage Avenue on May 24th, as well as three swifts entering the chimney at 155 Traill Avenue on June 3rd. Blair observed two swifts entering the chimney at 340 Provencher Boulevard on June 7th. These three sites have a line across them in the list below, to represent that they have been ‘crossed off’ our list.
Settlement
Neighbourhood
Location
Site
Observer
Manitou
.
338 Hamilton St
St Andrews United Church
Morden
325 Stephen St
Pembina Hills Art Centre
Selkirk
.
420 Main St
Lord Selkirk Hotel
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
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
520 William Ave
Living Gospel Church
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
33 Kennedy St
Lincoln Towers Apartment
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
100 Adelaide St
Immigrant Centre Building
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
348 Assiniboine Ave
Redboine Apartments
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
91 Albert Str
The Old Market Autonomous Zone
Winnipeg
Daniel McIntyre
239 Colony St
The Florida
Winnipeg
East Kildonan/Elmwood
325 Talbot Ave
Riverwood Church Community Firehall
Winnipeg
Fort Garry
1022 Pembina Hwy
Cambridge Hotel
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
411 Stradbrook Ave
Lancaster Apartment
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
277 River Ave
Royal Oak Court Apartments
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
105 Clarke St
My Place Realty
Winnipeg
Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry
272 Cockburn St
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
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
Winnipeg
River Heights/Fort Garry
890 McMillan Ave
Milan Apartments
Winnipeg
St Boniface
1310 Archibald St
Niakwa Park Plaza
Winnipeg
St Boniface
340 Provencher Blvd
Centre Culturel Franco Manitoba
Blair Reid
Winnipeg
St Boniface
864 Marion St
No. 9 Fire Paramedic Station, 864 Marion Street
Winnipeg
St Boniface
847 Marion St
Euro craft office furnishings
Winnipeg
St Boniface
99 Birchdale Ave
Nordale School
Winnipeg
St James
2160 Portage Ave
Stanley Park Apartments
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
Nest site monitoring
Many of you have been regularly monitoring chimneys used by Swifts to nest. If you are interested, we encourage you to keep monitoring these chimneys at the frequencies and durations that work for you. Monitoring during the nesting season can be done during the daytime. Data such as the number of entries and exits per hour, as well as the amount of time spent inside the chimney between entries/exits are useful in determining which phase of nesting the Swifts are currently in.
We are now into the ‘nest building’ phase of the breeding season, during which a breeding pair of Chimney Swifts will build a small cup-shaped nest by bringing small diameter twigs into the chimney, using their sticky saliva to glue these twigs together to form a nest. The Swifts will continue to build the nest throughout the egg laying and incubation phases. There is a lot of variability in the activity across nest sites but in general, if there is nest building at a site, you will see daytime entries by a single Chimney Swift or a pair flying together at a frequency of around 1-2 entries and exits per hour. The duration-in/between-visit time intervals are variable.
Once the eggs are laid, incubation begins. Here is Barb’s great explanation from a past blog on what incubation can look like in terms of activity:
“Incubation is the toughest nesting stage to pin down with respect to the date of onset. Start dates are nearly impossible to establish unless you have a nest cam or viewing port inside a tower etc. But it is possible to identify if the Chimney Swifts are incubating by using monitoring data. In ascending order of good, better, and best, I use 3 criteria which usually indicate that Chimney Swifts are on eggs. For monitoring sessions of at least 60 minutes, signs of incubation are: 1. % attendance, or time spent in the chimney, is > 50%; 2. A duration-in interval <10 min. (for an entry where a partner is not obviously flying nearby and doesn’t enter); and/or 3. A classic incubation exchange i.e., an entry followed by an exit 30-120 sec. later. Classic incubation exchanges take place 1 X hour (give or take a few minutes) at a site with 2 breeding adults.”
Once the eggs hatch, the Swifts move from the incubation phase (general range of 18-21 days) to feeding their young before fledging (general range of 28-30 days).
It is important to keep in mind that many other factors can influence Swift behaviour. Bad weather or other disturbances may cause Swifts to enter a chimney during the daytime, even though they are not nesting. Also, there are always exceptions to the general ‘rules’ for timing and duration of the different nesting phases and their associated activities.
The same can be said for trying to interpret the movement and behaviour of Swifts during migration, as they arrive and disperse throughout the breeding grounds… As many of you who watched the same site across several different nights know, the number of Swifts entering a chimney during the roosting hour can be extremely variable from session to session. I will finish this week’s blog post by sharing some words from Winnie Wake (from London, ON) about interpreting the results of our swift counts during this period, with). Winnie shared these thoughts (along with the beginning caveats) with Barb and has given us permission to share them with you:
“I would caution that my proposed interpretations for our region might not necessarily be fully applicable to yours. We also notice that numbers can vary at the small sites that we refer to as nest-only chimneys. When half a dozen swifts show up at some of these, we do not know who the extras are – extra migrants or surplus of wanna-be helpers or some other category. With swifts, I have learned there are always exceptions to defy any generalization I may try to invent to explain their behaviour.
During spring migration, the big unknown in interpreting swift counts at various chimneys is the turnover rate. How many days do migrating swifts stay in London before resuming their journey north (or dispersing to local nest chimneys) and, while here, to what extent do they move around among London chimneys? Personally, I do not think a significant number of migrating swifts move around to the extent that total numbers stay relatively the same for a number of days, though I think that some swifts likely do move around among chimneys.
I think a lot of our swifts pass through in waves. This could be waves of different sizes that arrive and move on after spending varying numbers of days in town. The wave theory is also visible at a finer level. During a roost watch, we often notice a group of swifts arrive, circle and enter. Then the sky will be empty for a while until the next group arrives, often from a different direction. We will also sometimes notice swifts passing over a roost chimney in numbers that are larger than the number that finally enters. Presumably these birds are checking out the possibilities before making a decision on where to spend the night. I have a hunch a number of our birds go directly to nest chimneys without first spending time in local roosts. We also do not know how many other London chimneys that we are not regularly monitoring might be occupied by roosts in a particular season. Most of the roost chimneys we monitor are within a km or so of other monitored chimneys. Almost all of the 18 chimneys have hosted roosts at some season or time in the past (only 3 FSA chimneys have not), but, in a given spring, summer or fall season, it is unusual for there to be more than four to six active roosts.”
We’d love to keep receiving reports of what you’re seeing, or not seeing! Even if you are not following the official roost monitoring protocol, you can enter your reports on our datasheet (available here on our website). As always, send us an email at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com if you’ve got any questions. Stay tuned for next week’s blog for more monitoring updates!
June has arrived, and the swift reports keep coming in! Thank you to all of those that have been monitoring and submitting reports. While our four official MCSI/NRMP nights for the season are now done, we encourage you to keep conducting roost monitoring sessions whether at the same site you have been monitoring this year or in past years, or at sites that we have on our list as priority chimneys to monitor for use by swifts (to confirm ‘residence’ status). Click here to read our start of year blog which goes into more detail about what we mean when we refer to ‘residence’ status, and the different types of sites we want to monitor.
Here are some new updates since our last blog, starting with our Winnipeg sites:
On June 1st, Barbara Barnett observed 210 entries into the River Manor Apartments. A few days later on June 5th, Barbara and Phil observed 175 swifts enter the chimney. At the Moorgate Apartments, Linda Curtis observed three entries and one exit on June 1st, and two entries on June 5th. Jo Swartz and Richard Silverman watched the chimney in Assiniboine Park on May 25th and saw seven swifts flying around, with five swifts entering the chimney for the night. On May 28th, Jo watched the chimney again this time with Betsy Thorsteinson and saw four swifts enter the chimney. On June 5th, Jo and Richard observed three entries into the chimney. Beth Hiltz and Wolfgang Jansen watched the Assiniboine School chimney on June 1st and observed four swifts in the air and one entry into the chimney, while on June 5th, Beth did not observe any swifts enter the chimney. Blaire Barta submitted more reports from the Behavioural Health Foundation in St. Norbert, noting two entries on both May 31st and June 5th. Amanda Shave was able to cross another priority site off our list of sites to confirm use by swifts – She observed three swifts entering the chimney at Hilton House Apartments, which means it now qualifies as a residence for Chimney Swifts. Woohoo!
Things remain very busy in Selkirk. Winona Hook has been watching the Merchant’s Hotel, reporting two entries on both June 3rd and June 5th. At the Selkirk Mental Health Centre (SMHC) on June 1st, two entries were observed at T01 (tall tower), T02 (courtyard tower), T03 (infirmary-attached tower) and the infirmary chimney, while no entries were observed at the yellow brick chimney and T04 (powerhouse tower). On the morning of June 3rd, Gerald and Carol looped through SMCH and saw two entries into the infirmary chimney, and one entry into T03. Tim Poole and his team of students watched the SMHC towers in the morning on June 5th and reported seeing one entry into T01, no entries into T02, one entry into T03, one entry into T04, one entry into the infirmary chimney, and no entries in the yellow-brick chimney. Later on that day during the official roost monitoring session, volunteers observed two entries into each of T01, T02, T03, the yellow-brick chimney and the infirmary chimney, but no activity at T04. It seems that there is some nest building going on in some of these chimneys and towers, but we will need to keep monitoring to be sure of what is going on here!
As for Lower Fort Garry, Joanne Tuckwell monitored during the morning of June 5th, and observed two swifts entering into the Fur Loft, followed by two exits. She also saw two entries into the Men’s House chimney. Later on that evening, Gerald Machnee observed one entry into the Men’s House chimney and two entries into the Fur Loft chimney.
Barb and Rob Stewart have been busy keeping an eye on the swifts in St. Adolphe. After observing many daytime entries and exits at the Club Amical from May 28th to June 2nd, they suspected that nest building was underway in the northeast chimney. The southeast chimney is proving to be a bit more confusing, with some monitoring sessions resulting in zero activity and other sessions resulting in the observation of entries and exits and the swifts spending a lot of time inside the chimney (which can be an indicator of nesting activity). On June 6th, Barb and Rob noted long durations of time between entries and exits in the northeast chimney, suggesting that the swifts using this chimney have reached the incubation stage of nesting. It will be interesting to see what happens here in the next several weeks.
In La Broquerie, Frank Machovec monitored the church chimneys on June 1st and observed three swifts enter the large chimney and two swifts enter the small chimney. On June 5th, he saw three swifts enter the large chimney and one swift enter the small chimney.
In Dauphin, Ken Wainwright and crew observed two swifts enter the Malcom Block chimney, and four swifts occupying the chimney at once at Old Scott’s Hardware on June 1st.
In St. Francois Xavier, Mike and Michele Tumber watched the church chimney on June 5th and observed three entries into the chimney.
In St. Jean Baptiste, Luc Blanchette has been watching the church chimney. On May 31st, he observed 16 entries and three exits, with a maximum of 13 swifts in the chimney at one time. On June 5th, Luc observed 10 entries and three exits, with a maximum of eight swifts in the chimney at one time.
Our program assistant Aynsley has been monitoring the chimneys in Otterburne. On June 1st, she observed one exit from the chimney near the bell tower, two entries into the large chimney, and one entry into the skinny chimney. On June 5th, she observed four entries and two exits at the large chimney and three entries and exits at the skinny chimney. There was no observed activity in the chimney near the bell tower.
There have also been some sightings in The Pas, by Joel Kayer. On May 30th and 31st, he saw swifts flying in the sky near the VIA rail station in the afternoon. He heard some more swift activity on June 1st.
That’s it for the updates for this week! If you’re wondering about where and when you can monitor in the upcoming weeks/months, please send us an email! High on our priority list is to find volunteers to monitor sites that haven’t had confirmed use by swifts in the last three years. These sites can be monitored at any time of day for any duration of time – the important part is seeing a swift enter or exit the chimney, which will confirm its status as a ‘residence’ for Chimney Swifts. Amanda has already successfully confirmed two of these sites by observing swifts entering them which is very exciting! We will continue to tackle this scavenger hunt as a group throughout the summer. Next week’s blog will focus on this mission of ours, and will include a detailed a list of these priority sites. We also encourage volunteers to continue monitoring at your ‘usual’ site if you have one.
Whew, that was a long one. Thanks folks, we really couldn’t do it without you! Remember to send us your reports and observations at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com
Last week marked the beginning of our official monitoring season, and many of us bundled up and strapped down to watch for our feathered friends! It’s been windy… Hopefully not too many hats have been lost. We are now halfway through our official MCSI/NRMP nights. Our first two official monitoring nights were on May 24th and May 28th. The next official monitoring nights are on June 1st and June 5th. A friendly reminder to send in your swift reports and datasheets to mbchimneyswift@gmail.com. While it is fine to wait to send them in later in the season, we appreciate receiving the datasheets soon after each monitoring session so that we can stay on top of organizing the data and updating the blog.
Keep reading for a rundown of what’s been going in the swift world so far. 😊
Reports from Barb and Rob Stewart indicate that nest building is underway in St. Adolphe. Within an hour and a half on May 16th, they were able to observe swifts entering and exiting all five nesting chimneys! In Barb’s words, “Some days are just so much more fun than others at the chimney side…today was one of those glory days”. Well said, Barb!
In St. Francois Xavier, Mike and Michele Tumber are monitoring the church and have reported four entries into the chimney on both May 24th and May 28th, also noting that there is lots of swift activity around overall.
Frank Machovec is monitoring the St Joachim RC Church Site in La Broquerie and observed one entry into each of the two chimneys on May 24th. This number increased on May 28th, with four entries into the ‘large chimney’ and one in the ‘small chimney’.
Selkirk, Lockport and Lower Fort Garry have been busy places for swifts this year, and thankfully we have a great group of folks keeping an eye on things! Thanks to Gerald Machnee, Robert Hempler, Winona Hook, Pattie and Dennis Beatty, Nia Massey, Linda Adie, Fred and Nettie Jensen, Tim Verbiwski, Veronica White, and Joanne Tuckwell. On May 24th at the Selkirk Mental Health Centre, two entries were observed in each of the infirmary chimney, yellow-brick chimney, T04 (powerhouse tower), and T02 (courtyard tower). Robert and Winona observed several entries and exits in the west tower (T01), suggesting nest building. On May 28th, Pattie and Dennis noted three swifts entering T02 (the courtyard tower), Veronica observed one entry into T01, while Nia and Linda observed two entries into the ‘yellow brick chimney’ and two entries into T04 (powerhouse tower). On May 29th, Robert observed a morning entry into the chimney at the infirmary, suggesting nest building. On May 30th, Gerald observed a swift entering the chimney at the apartments in Selkirk. As for Lower Fort Garry, Joanne Tuckwell observed swifts using the chimney in the Fur Loft building and Gerald Machnee observed two swifts enter the Men’s House chimney. Tim Verbiwsk and Gerald Machnee have been keeping an eye on Lockport bridge. While swift activity there has overall been irregular so far this year, Tim did observe two entries on May 11th and one entry on May 26th.
Ken Wainwright and crew are monitoring the sites in Dauphin. Ken had observed around 30 swifts flying overhead on May 23rd while watching a nesting chimney, so was expecting to see large numbers of swifts entering roosting chimneys during the official roost monitoring session on May 24th (the following night). However, only eight swifts were seen at one time on May 24th, indicating that many of the swifts from the previous night may have moved on. All four sites that were monitored on May 24th in Dauphin had entries.
In St Jean Baptiste, Luc Blanchette has been monitoring the church. On May 22nd he observed approximately 13 swifts flying around, with four of them entering the chimney. On May 29th, the number of swifts that entered the chimney increased to ten, out of eleven swifts seen in total!
Marissa and Aynsley have been covering Providence College in Otterburne. On May 24th, a total of four swifts circled the three chimneys around sunset, before one dropped into the chimney near the bell tower, another one dropped into the ‘skinny chimney’ and the remaining two swifts dropped into the ‘large chimney’. On May 28th, Aynsley noted four entries into the ‘large chimney’ and one in the ‘skinny chimney’.
In Winnipeg, our volunteers have been busy at a variety of sites. Donna Milovitch watched the River Manor Apartments on May 24th and May 28th. While she did not see any swifts enter the chimney on the first night, she saw 89 swifts entering the chimney on the 28th. David Wiebe monitored the Assiniboine School and saw two swifts enter the chimney with an additional four swifts flying around. Linda Curtis counted one swift entering the chimney at the Moorgate Apartments. Garry Budyk monitored at Pro Tac Roofing and caught two entries into the chimney. Blaire Barta, who has been monitoring the Behavioural Health Foundation in St. Norbert, did not observe any entries on May 24th but did see one entry on May 28th. Amanda Shave watched the Thunderbird Apartments, which was on our list of priority sites to determine ‘residence’ status. In an exciting turn of events, Amanda observed one swift enter the chimney, confirming that this chimney is being used by swifts!
As we continue our monitoring season, here are some general reminders to keep in mind:
Many of the sites we monitor are potential nest sites. The first 30 minutes of monitoring is considered “daytime”, where we hope to see if the sight is being used to roost, nest or both!
Arrival – Around mid May, swifts begin arriving in Manitoba. The arrival stage is characterized by the first reported sightings of Chimney Swifts in spring. Birds can be identified both by vocalizations and visual sightings. You may be able to hear the distinct chittering or see small cigar-shaped birds in small numbers foraging near known sites.
Chimney Swifts typically enter their sites within ½ hour of sunset (½ hour before to ½ hour after sunset = the roosting hour), for the remainder of the night. They do so by clinging to the rough wall interiors. Sometimes roost entries may occur earlier than the roosting hour, or swifts are in the air and are unaccounted for as it gets darker. Morning departures occur within ½ hour of sunrise (½ hour before to ½ hour after sunrise) in good weather conditions. Poor weather conditions may delay departure.
Behaviour of Chimney Swifts can be variable and interpreting it can be helped by what is going on in the environment. We commonly see roosting entries before the roosting hour on cold and rainy days, or when foraging conditions seem to be good. On days with poor weather conditions, swifts may use chimneys as refuges to wait out bad weather.
Chimney Swift Nest, St Adolphe MB 2016
Nest Building – Watch for daytime entries and exits! Swifts will be active in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. During late May and early June, breeding pairs will start to gather small twigs from dead trees and glue them to the wall of the chimney with saliva forming a cup-shaped nest. Once the nest is large enough to hold one egg, sticks are added making it larger to hold more eggs. Nest building continues until the end of the incubation period. Once the eggs are hatched, the nest building stops and the adult swifts focus on feeding their young.
While watching your nest site, you may see a breeding pair approach a chimney together and enter one after the other. They may instead approach and only one swift drop in, while the other circles and flies off. On the other hand, single birds may approach and enter the chimney. Single or two consecutive exits may follow a time lag. The two important time intervals (duration-in (entry to exit) and between-visits (exit to entry)) that characterize different stages of nesting are variable during nest building.
As we get into warmer weather, we are beginning to see our little cigar-shaped feathered friends. According to eBird, the first Chimney Swift sightings of 2023 in Manitoba were on May 9th in St. Jean Baptiste (reported by Luc Blanchette) and at Fort Whyte (reported by Marlene Waldron and Ward Christianson). Everyday, we are receiving more sightings of swifts! We have now had sightings in Carman, Dauphin, Selkirk, St. Adolphe, and various areas around Winnipeg such as St. Norbert, Assiniboine Park, Tuxedo, Wolseley, and North Kildonan.
Our official monitoring period begins next week. This year, our MCSI/NRMP monitoring nights are on May 24th, May 28th, June 1st, and June 5th. See our last blog post (https://www.mbchimneyswift.com/spring-has-sprung/) for a detailed run-down of our this year’s updated flexible monitoring approach and a description of the different types of sites we want to monitor.
We are still looking for volunteers to monitor chimneys that are priority for confirming ‘residence’ status as well as chimneys routinely monitored by MCSI, throughout the spring and summer on a schedule that works for you.
We are also looking for volunteers to monitor the following roost sites on NRMP nights:
Providence College (10 College Crescent, Otterburne) May 24, May 28, June 1, June 5
River Manor Apartments (424 River Ave, Winnipeg) May 28, June 1
Assiniboine School (175 Winston Rd, Winnipeg) May 24, May 28
Rufus Prince Building (5000 Crescent Rd W, Portage La Prairie) May 24, May 28, June 1, June 5
If you are interested in monitoring one of these roost sites, please let us know which site you would like to watch and which NRMP nights you are available. If you would like to monitor a priority site for confirming ‘residence’ status or would like to continue monitoring a site you have monitored in past years, email us at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com.
We deeply appreciate all the time and effort our volunteers dedicate to Chimney Swifts conservation efforts. The MCSI could not do it without all of you!
Finally, please welcome Aynsley Woods, our program assistant! Aynsley spent lots of time monitoring Swifts last summer, while working with the Province of Manitoba’s Wildlife Branch. Aynsley was helping us out part-time this winter and will now be with us full-time. We are lucky to have her on board!
Hi folks! It’s been a long winter but it’s finally feeling like spring out there! As the emergence of leaves and the blooming of flowers approach, so too does the return of our Chimney Swifts. Based on eBird reports, they are slowly reaching/passing the Canadian border. You can view updates on CHSW movement at the following link: Chimney Swift – Species Map – eBird
We’ve been hard at work on our monitoring plan for the 2023 season, because we will be trying a slightly different approach than in previous years! This year, MCSI monitoring nights will be held on the same evenings as National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP) nights (a total of four evenings during a two-week period), with the option to monitor on different dates throughout the spring/summer based on the chimney category as well as the volunteer’s availability and desired time commitment (more details below).
Our MCSI/NRMP monitoring nights for 2023 will be on May 24th, May 28th, June 1st, and June 5th. In case of poor weather, the rain day will be the following day.
Similar to previous years, our monitoring efforts will focus on three categories of chimneys. This includes 1) chimneys that host larger groups of swifts (part of the NRMP), 2) chimneys that are priority for confirming/reaffirming ‘residence’ status, and 3) chimneys that are routinely monitored by MCSI volunteers. Chimneys in category 1 should be monitored on MCSI/NRMP nights, while the chimneys in categories 2 and 3 can be monitored on MCSI/NRMP nights and/or anytime throughout the spring/summer on a schedule that suits the volunteer.
1) NRMP sites
Select chimneys that usually host larger groups of Chimney Swifts (4 or more swifts) are part of the National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP). These NRMP chimneys only need to be monitored on the four NRMP evenings at the start of the season.
Areas with NRMP chimneys to monitor include:
Carman
Otterburne
Selkirk
Souris
Portage la Prairie
La Broquerie
Dauphin
St Jean Baptiste
Winnipeg – Fort Rouge
Winnipeg – St James
2) Chimneys that are priority for confirming ‘residence’ status
Sites are confirmed as ‘residences’ when they have hosted Chimney Swifts at least once in the last 3 years. Based on this criterion, we have gone through our database and compiled a list of sites that are high priority for monitoring this year. By confirming use of these chimneys by swifts, the structures can be protected as Chimney Swift habitat into the future. These chimneys can be monitored on NRMP/MCSI nights as well as anytime throughout the spring/summer.
Areas with priority chimneys to monitor include:
The Pas
Manitou
Morden
Selkirk
Winnipeg – City Centre
Winnipeg – Elmwood
Winnipeg – Fort Garry
Winnipeg – Fort Rouge
Winnipeg – North End
Winnipeg – North Kildonan
Winnipeg – River Heights
Winnipeg – St Boniface
Winnipeg – St James
Winnipeg – St. Vital
Winnipeg – West End
3) Chimneys routinely monitored by MCSI
Many chimneys that are typically used as nesting habitat by swifts have been monitored annually by MCSI volunteers. Monitoring these chimneys allows us to maintain the MCSI database and continue to gather data on where, when, and how chimneys are being used by swifts around Manitoba. These chimneys can be monitored on NRMP/MCSI nights as well as anytime throughout the spring/summer. These chimneys are not as high priority to monitor as the chimneys in category 2.
We realize that weekly MCSI monitoring in addition to NRMP nights is a big time commitment, so we hope that this approach will make monitoring more sustainable for our volunteers and will allow for flexible monitoring commitments throughout the season. During the remainder of the spring/summer, volunteers can continue to monitor on the schedule and frequency that works for them. This monitoring could include regular monitoring at a specific site and /or ‘special assignments’, such as one-time visits to chimneys that are a priority for confirming ‘residence’ status. Throughout the season, we will use the blog to update this list of chimneys that need ‘residence’ confirmation so that volunteers can be made aware, in real time, of which sites have been checked off our priority list and which sites still need confirmed use by swifts. Volunteers can move around and make the most of their time to confirm the most sites. Almost like a treasure hunt of sorts! A treasure hunt where the prize at the end is protecting important habitat for Chimney Swifts.
If you are looking for a chimney to monitor in your neighbourhood or are willing to travel to a site, send an email to myself (Marissa) at mbchimneyswift@gmail.com. We have more chimneys than monitors each year, and we’d love to have you join our effort to help the Chimney Swift.
Monitors from previous years – please confirm that you will be participating in the 2023 program and if you’d like to keep monitoring the same site(s) as last year or if you would like a different site. I would be more than happy to discuss with you what the most suitable sites would be based on your location, availability, and our monitoring priorities.
NRMP nights and the MCSI nights use the same monitoring protocol and data sheet. We ask that volunteers watch their site starting 60 minutes before sunset until 30 minutes after sunset (90 minutes total). In that time volunteers record numbers of swifts seen in the air, as well as the time and number of swifts that enter and exit the chimney.
The Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative has made available on-line survey forms and protocols for the 2023 monitoring season:
VOLUNTEER RESOURCES are posted on our MCSI website at: http://www.mbchimneyswift.ca/resources.html . There are links to video clips, research/general interest articles, and the all-important “Dashboard Placard” which identifies you as an MCSI volunteer.
