Hi folks,
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 |
| Capped. | ||||
| Morden | 352 Stephen St | Pembina Hills Art Centre | ||
| 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 | |
| Tim Poole | ||||
| Winnipeg | Daniel McIntyre | 520 William Ave | Living Gospel Church (west chimney) | |
| Tim Poole | ||||
| Winnipeg | Daniel McIntyre | 100 Adelaide St | Immigrant Centre Building | |
| Tim Poole | ||||
| Winnipeg | Daniel McIntyre | 91 Albert Str | The Old Market Autonomous Zone | |
| Tim Poole | ||||
| Blair Reid | ||||
| Winnipeg | Fort Rouge/East Fort Garry | 411 Stradbrook Ave | Lancaster Apartment | |
| 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 | |
| Blair Reid Frank Machovec | ||||
| Blair Reid | ||||
| Frank Machovec | ||||
| Blair Reid | ||||
| Winnipeg | St Boniface | 99 Birchdale Ave | Nordale School | |
| Amanda Shave | ||||
| Amanda Shave | ||||
| Amanda Shave | ||||
| Winnipeg | St James | 2415 Portage Ave | Essex House, pest cage | |
| Winnipeg | St Vital | 531 St Mary’s Rd | Riverside Billiards |
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.
Thanks, and have a great week!
-Marissa
