It's A Wrap! MCSI Bulletin 4 for 2014

Manitoba News Bulletin 

National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 4 - June 2, 2014

The four night, national chimney swift monitoring program has ended. In Manitoba, the early results show that a record breaking number of swifts are occupying some roost sites. At the "old faithful" nest sites, breeding pairs are established now which holds the promise of new recruits to be added to the population later this summer.

Before summarizing some of the observations, we need to send a heartfelt shout-out to our many dedicated volunteers - THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! With numerous monitors watching the rims - the chimney rims - our program has been a success. It is a challenge to sit at chimney sides with cold temperatures, rain, wind, and bugs but the data you have collected is valuable. With 2014 being the second year for the national program, some preliminary between-year comparisons of the abundance and distribution of chimney swifts in Canada will be possible. Now for some of our early results...

The geographical coverage has been broad and chimney swifts have been sighted over a large range in Manitoba. In the north, Ken and Jan reported that they survived the blood letting experience (the mosquito flock was robust too) in Dauphin and that their roost site had 41 swifts. Typically, the numbers peak at this time of the year, then decline somewhat as swifts disperse to locations unknown. 

Out "west" in Carman, chimney swifts were documented again in two chimneys - at the Carman Memorial Hall (monitored by Matt) and the elementary school (observed by Rhonda). Greg reported a pair of swifts at the Harvest Moon Learning Centre in Clearwater. Perhaps some nesting activity will take place in these sites. News flashes from Gordon and Sandy in Portage La Prairie, and Margaret in Brandon are on their way...

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On the eastern side of the province, David had his breeding pair return to the La Broquerie site for the night.​ Don and Roxie reported seasonal highs with 10 swifts roosting at the Steinbach hospital and 2 more were still on the wing when darkness shrouded the chimney tops.

Frank and Jacquie couldn't time travel, so after helping with St. Adolphe on Monday night, they headed south to Otterburne on Tuesday night and documented swifts flying about Providence College. The same mysterious story line unfolded again - airborne swifts were out after curfew.

Back to Monday, in St. Adolphe nesting pairs were identified by Rob and Frank at the SE and NE Club Amical chimneys and by Jacquie at Brodeur Bros. Three swifts were noted by Lewis, Leon, and Ken at the Church and by me at Main St.  Roberta had a lovely evening watching the skies but did not have any activity into our artificial tower located in the Church grounds.

The large group of Selkirk monitors, organized by Ruby, saw 46 swifts distributed between four sites. In the Large chimney, 39 swifts roosted (watched by Gerald and Carol); 1 was in the Yellow Brick chimney (seen by Robert H.); 3 were in the Red Brick chimney (monitored by Nia, Ralph, and Linda); and 3 were reported, by Ruby and Andy, to be overnighting in the Merchants Hotel. This dedicated group will monitor the sites weekly over the summer.

The Winnipeg area had good coverage. Paolo sighted chimney swifts in Fort Richmond area but none was observed entering St. Avila school; this area is know for swifts but the nighttime destinations still elude us. Nicole had a pair of swifts enter the Old Grace Hospital site - it appears that a breeding pair has claimed the chimney again.

Last, but far from least, comes news of the Assiniboine School roost. David, Adolf, Anna, and Peter had a mind boggling evening counting 110 chimney swifts fluttering, diving, dropping, and crowding their way into the brick chimney for the night! It was a spectacular, memorable sight. Why the great numbers this year when the 2013 peak numbered 8 swifts? Last year's recruitment could have been very high (for the only time in 7 years of monitoring, three of five St. Adolphe nest sites fledged young in 2013), overwintering success could have been very good, and/or the gregarious swifts could be luring others into the site with vocalizations - the birds are very gregarious and social interaction is fundamental to their behaviour.

We do not get reports of such large roosts in Manitoba often. Ken discovered and monitored the Dauphin roost site well before MCSI activities started in 2007 (bicycling to his sweetheart's - now wife's - home!). In the early part of that decade, over 200 swifts used the site which Ken and Jan continue to monitor annually.

Now it is time to submit your results if they have not reached me already - any form will be fine, whatever is most convenient. You can email your observations, send them along via Canada Post (to me at: 1218 Marchand Rd., Howden, MB, R5A 1J6), or by owl courier...

For the remaining part of the 2014 chimney swift season, you can track roosting numbers and nest site activity. Your observations will be welcome anytime. Frank will continue to help me post updates and developments of the breeding activities in St. Adolphe. Also, we need a head's up if you know of any chimney that needs repair/restoration or "intervention" to protect roosting and nesting habitat.

Thanks again for your generous support of MCSI and happy "swifting"!

Best, Barb Stewart

mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

TRENDING: HOT, HOT, HOT & MOSQUITOES!

Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative: Bulletin  3 -- May 2014

The switch was thrown and the now above-average daily temperatures resulted in a fast hatch of mosquitoes and other insects. The 30+ C temperatures also spawned thunderstorms in the Dauphin and Brandon regions. However, our dedicated monitors prevailed and we have some excellent reports from May 29th, the third of the nationally-coordinated monitoring nights...

In Winnipeg, two exciting developments took place. First, there was a sensational roost at Site no. 6 = 175 Winston Rd; Assiniboine School. Adolf, David, and Peter had 66 swifts roosting for the night! Last year's count peaked at 8 chimney swifts. For this year's national blitz nights, David summarized that: "May 21 was pretty quiet. May 25 more birds (20) roosted than at any other time over our years of observing. May 29 unbelievable - 66 birds roosted at Assiniboine School Site #6." Momentum seems to be building for the roosting mass at this location.

Second, the Old Grace Hospital site, which was saved from demolition by the hard work of Nicole Firlotte and the Wolseley community, has come on-line this year. Three swifts were seen entering the chimney mid-way through the roosting hour.

In St. Adolphe, there were fewer birds about but they were committing to nest sites - 12 swifts roosted and 1 was unaccounted for by the end of the roosting hour (compared to 15 swifts in town on May 25 with only 5 roosting). Significantly, all the nest sites are now claimed. Rob had a wild ride with numerous entries/exits over at Club Amical. After sorting through the data, it was apparent that a pair used the SE Club Amical chimney, although only 1 roosted for the night, and 2 swifts roosted in the NE Club chimney. ​Jacquie noted that 3 swifts roosted at Brodeur Bros.; Roberta had 2 swifts roosting at the Church; and I had 3 in the Main St. site. We were able to view Brodeur Bros. for about 25 minutes before the roosting hour (I like to think of this as a "robust roosting" session); a pair entered and then left the chimney after a few minutes which indicated that nest building was underway. Sometimes a helper is on-site at nest sites, so we will watch for activity patterns during the day which indicate three birds. Otherwise, the St. Adolphe swifts have a habit of sharing lodging until incubation is well established i.e., the "third" bird from one site in the evening is actually using another site during the daytime with it's partner. These are the gems that get figured out with multi-site simultaneous monitoring!

Fewer chimney swifts also were reported by Ken in Dauphin - 28 roosted compared to 48 which roosted on May 25. We can't be sure that the peak roosting number has occurred as there was thunderstorm activity during Thursday evening which may have influenced the bird's behavior.

In Selkirk, all four sites were covered by Ruby's volunteers. Roosting totals were: Merchant Hotel = 0; Red Chimney = 7 (10 entries and 3 exits); Yellow Chimney = 0; and Tall Chimney = 49 (up from 36 on May 25).  So, the Tall Chimney numbers are still climbing.

Over in La Broquerie, David's pair came in for the night before sunset. Many other monitors indicated that their chimney swifts also roosted in the first half of the session, some even close to the very start of the roosting hour. Perhaps with the high availability of insects in the air column, the chimney swifts had full stomachs and lots of energy reserves to hang up their feathers early...

Our fourth, and final, national monitoring night is Monday, June 2nd. It may be a very informative evening overall. At the nest sites, if you can muster an extra 15 - 20 minutes, look for entries/exits before the roosting hour. Such "daytime" use is the best indication of nest building in progress. At roost sites, we can compare data between nights to determine when the abundance of chimney swifts peaked. We should all be vigilant for those late fliers who defy the training manual and cruise about after curfew (teenagers perhaps?).

Thanks as usual to the monitors who are developing their neck muscles and exercising their patience while staring at the chimney rims! I look forward to hearing from you after Monday evening.

Happy birding, Barb Stewart

mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

Bulletin Number 2 for 2014

The second National Monitoring Night, Sunday May 25th, was a cool night again following another rainy day. Maybe we will get out of our long underwear and rain jackets before this Blitz is over. The up and not so down details of an "interesting" evening follow...​

Ken and Jan in Dauphin had 48 swifts roosting and noted many entries after "the magic hour". This was an increase from the 11 swifts seen on the first national monitoring night.

In St. Adolphe, the upward trend in numbers continued but mystery shrouded our evening. Rob had 1 +2 in at the SE + NE Club Amical chimneys respectively; I had 2 in at Main St.; Jacquie had 0 swifts at Brodeur Bros.; and Frank counted 2 in at the Church. Then "something" happened at the very end of the roosting hour. The Church swifts left after a mob of 8 chsw came screaming by.

About half way through the monitoring period, I saw a flock of what looked like 9 swifts over the Red River. Rob, who was a long block away, saw 8 swifts just at the end of the observation period, as they moved north past Brodeur Bros. and then to the Church. Rob came back to the Church wondering who got all the roosting birds. Nobody did. We had 10 airborne swifts and no idea of where they would overnight.​ ​Also, as we were debriefing during our "congregation" at the Church, a chsw dove into the Church chimney about 15 min. post-roosting hour and then left a short time later!

Ruby and her flock of monitors had 36 swifts roosting in the tall Selkirk chimney, up from 25 the first night. Also, there were 7 entries then 2 exits in the red chimney; 5 swifts were in the site at the end of the roosting hour which left two chimney swifts unaccounted for in a roost site.

Two issues seem certain. First, available nesting territory is not immediately claimed at the onset of the season. Perhaps the 2013 breeding pair at the St. Adolphe Church are dead or late-arriving and the 2014 migrants are trying to sort themselves out for the current nesting season.

Second, we have solid data that chimney swifts may be airborne well after the roosting hour. Therefore, in-site roosting totals may underestimate the total number of birds in the immediate area. Another challenge for the number crunchers...

Elsewhere in Manitoba, David Dawson counted 2 chimney swifts roosting at La Broquerie. Don and Roxie Reimer are still waiting for the first arrivals at the Steinbach hospital. David first discovered that this site was active during last year's season, so we do not have historical information for the hospital chimney. There is hope though for migrants to appear this week or later in the season.

There can be new arrivals in St. Adolphe during the third week of June. These birds may be late arriving migrants from the south or re-dispersing local swifts that had arrived in May. The same thing may happen elsewhere in Manitoba. So even if sites are empty now, there is a possibility of occupation later. Any additional monitoring of "empty" sites during the third week of June would be appreciated!

Thursday, May 29th is the next target for the national blitz. I expect numbers to build in the roost sites in Selkirk and Dauphin. For other chimneys that may be nest sites, do not give up hope of seeing swifts if they have not been sighted to date. It has been a late spring and as we are at the northern periphery of the distribution range, migrants are still arriving.

The weather is improving to the point that bug smacking on the windshield is occurring at night now and those marvelous mosquitoes are starting to appear. Think of these insects as chimney swift food instead of pesky summer intruders!

I hope you all enjoy some bounty of birds on Thursday night. Another bulletin will be sent out to update you on the developments and trends. Your monitoring efforts are appreciated very much!

Cheers, Barb.
mbchimneyswift@gmail.com

News Bulletin 1 from the MCSI

Manitoba News Bulletin for the National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 1 - May 21, 2014:
The early returns are in and there was a lot of empty air space on the chilly Wednesday evening. Matt Dedrick, who coordinates the Carman volunteers, wondered if a new subspecies was indicated: "Chaetura pelagica noseeum"! Many people would agree as no chimney swifts were seen at: two Carman sites; two Clearwater sites; Portage La Prairie; and La Broquerie.

For monitors lucky enough to spot swifts, few birds roosted for the night in the occupied chimneys. The Dauphin roost had 11 swifts and the record high count for the night was at Selkirk where 25 swifts came in.

In St. Adolphe, the five nest sites had varying activity. Empty sites = SE Club Amical and Brodeur Bros.; occupied sites = 2 swifts in at the NE Club Amical chimney; 2 swifts in Main St.; and only 1 at the Church.​

All has changed now that the cold weather system has moved along and brought the first string of clear, warm days (ok, 30 C is just hot). the bug-inspiring heat has created favourable feeding conditions and chimney swifts have been sighted during the daytime now in various locations such as Fort Whyte Alive and East Kildonan in Winnipeg.

Roosting hour sightings have picked up also since Wed. Interestingly, 4 chimney swifts were active in the Carman Memorial Hall site (entries and exits) before 2 roosted for the night on Thursday, May 22nd. Roosting birds were noted again on Friday, May 23rd.

So the daytime sightings and entry/exit behavior indicate that migrants are moving into our area and nesting territory is being established for the season. The invisible swifts seem to have disappeared.

It seems that a global threat of thunderstorms is upon us all for Sunday night, May 25th, which is National Monitoring Blitz Night No. 2. From Dauphin to La Broquerie to Portage to Winnipeg, Environment Canada has the lightning icon embedded in its forecast.

Just a reminder to all monitors that safety comes first and if there is storm activity, we will pass on chimney side viewing. If light or intermittent rain occurs, monitoring can proceed...in fact, the chimney swifts in St. Adolphe have put on amazing feeding shows at the edge of storm fronts.

All the best for your viewing pleasure Sunday night and may the swifts be winging their way to a site near you...

(Our CHSW season started with an opportunity to watch a Kingston, ON roost site over the May long weekend. Thanks to Chris Grooms for steering us to the location and to Frank Machovec who has provided a link to some "phone video" footage Rob took of the 131 swift spectacle - amazing birds!). Click here to see the video.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon, Barb.

(mbchimneyswift@gmail.com)