A New Season Begins!

While Manitobans are hoping to nudge winter along, residents in the southern U.S. are welcoming spring and the arrival of chimney swifts. By mid-March, the first spring sightings in Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Florida are reported (follow the spring sightings links at the Chimney Swift Conservation Association - formerly Driftwood Wildlife Organization; renamed Jan. 1, 2015 - http://www.chimneyswifts.org/). By mid-May, our chimney swifts should be chittering overhead. 

So with the swifts on the wing and heading our way, it is time to launch our 2015 chimney swift season in Manitoba. The MCSI Steering Committee has been busy over the winter preparing resource material and we will be sending out information such as guidelines for building chimney swift habitat in Manitoba, fact sheets, a new Swift Champion program, and a package for roost/nest site monitors.

Monitoring activities kick-off in May with the third consecutive National Roost Monitoring Program (NRMP). The NRMP is organized by biologists with the Canadian Wildlife Service, Quebec Region. All across Canada, monitors will gather on set dates to watch chimney rims and collect chimney swift abundance/distribution data. Last year, 35 MCSI monitors contributed data for 23 sites in 11 communities. In 2015, we hope to continue supporting this important initiative so, please SAVE THESE NRMP DATES: MAY 20, 24, 28, JUNE 2 AND 6!

After the NRMP wraps up, MCSI monitors are encouraged to track the abundance of chsw at roost sites and activity at nest sites throughout the summer. In 2014, we had 57 volunteers monitoring 40 sites in 14 communities and 8 new sites were discovered! In addition, we would like to carry on the momentum generated from the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas and move all reported chimney swift sightings to the highest level of breeding evidence = confirmed breeding.

We will be in touch soon with more details ~ in the meantime, dust off your favourite "chimney swift" chairs and start those neck-strengthening exercises!

Barb Stewart (mbchimneyswift@gmail.com) for Tim Poole (Habitat Stewardship and Outreach Coordinator; mcsi.outreach@gmail.com) and the other Steering Committee Members - Christian Artuso, Ron Bazin, Neil Butchard, Lewis Cocks, Ken De Smet, Nicole Firlotte, and Rob Stewart. Thanks to webmaster Frank Machovec for making all of these postings possible.