UP, UP, AND NEARLY AWAY

 MCSI AUGUST 2014 BULLETIN

These are exciting times in which we live. Especially when we make connections with chimney swifts. Since the beginning of August, chimney swift sightings from far and wide were reported (some for earlier in the season); fledged young were identified on the wing; recent counts at well monitored roost sites indicated that migration was underway; and vigilant monitors reported newly discovered chimney swift nest sites.

Winnipeg sightings have been robust. Beyond site monitoring, chimney swifts were seen flying over East Kildonan, Norwood Flats, and River Heights (Rudolf); at Assiniboine Park (Ryan; Bill); St. James (Carolyn, Christian, David); and Riverview (Vere). In Lac du Bonnet, chimney swifts flew about Casey's Inn (Peter, Sharon, Diann, Colleen, Anita). In the townsite of Wasagaming, chimney swifts were flying in the vicinity of McTavish's Lodge (Cal, Ken).

Juvenile sightings in August included the East Kildonan (Rudolf), St. James (Christian), and St Norbert areas of Winnipeg (Barb), and St. Adolphe (Barb).

Daytime nest site activity in St. Adolphe has concluded - there have been no daytime entries/exits as of August 17; the local juveniles are now flight worthy for a day of aerial foraging. The Brodeur Bros site swifts fledged July 30-31 and the NE Club Amical juveniles made a supermoon appearance around Monday, August 11. In August, the SE Club Amical activity was on and off and on and off and, well, generally defied categorization; the nesting attempt likely was not successful in the end (I cannot access the chimney cleanout trap which is sealed behind a wall). The SE and NE Club Amical chimneys were occupied for the night of August 16. Three chimney swifts roosted at Brodeur Bros. on August 14 but none entered on August 20. The local chimney swifts are on the move...

Declining roosting hour counts at other sites also indicated that migration was underway. There can be a local redistribution of chimney swifts between nest and larger roost sites in a premigratory phase. Then the southern exodus begins.

The largest roost site in Manitoba this season was at Assiniboine School, Winnipeg, monitored by team leader David, Adolf, Anna, Peter, and various family members/interested individuals. The season peak was 110 chimney swifts on June 2. Counts last month were 75-85 on July 24 and 72 on July 29. This month's roosting totals were 56 on August 4 and 41 on August 11. So, there is a trend to declining numbers of roosting chimney swifts at this site. It will be interesting to watch how the numbers change = a gradual withdrawal or a mass exodus or...? Time will tell.

Up north in Dauphin, Ken and Jan saw 26 swifts enter their site August 10; 27 were counted by another observer on August 15. These numbers are slightly reduced from the 30 swifts seen entering on July 22, but much lower than the peak count of 48 swifts on May 28.

The most exciting news that winged in this month was the discovery of 4 new nest sites for our provincial inventory - interestingly, the sites were all identified within days of each other. A Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas monitor confirmed roosting hour entries at the St. Norbert Behavioural Health Foundation (August 12/13); mid-day August 14, daytime flying behaviour over the building, which involved juveniles, suggested a nest site was successful. Peter had a fortuitous daytime observation of a chimney swift entry/exit at Chancellor Hall on U of Manitoba campus (August 12) - gleaned from the fifth floor of the adjacent library. Carolyn, in St James, had a 5-6 year old mystery (just where do those chimney swifts go?) resolve when, after sunset, she spied chimney swifts dropping into the small chimney at the rear of St. Anne's Catholic Church (August 16); observations made by David and Christian the next evening, ahead of the roosting hour, confirmed a nest site. Last but not least, Crystal contacted us with news that a nest was observed in her St. James chimney. We are fortunate that the cleanout trap can be inspected in September to estimate the number of fledglings from the nesting attempt.

​Many thanks to all of you who have taken the time to connect with the skies and look for chimney swift activity. Nature reveals itself to those who are patient enough to wait for the signs. We have been rewarded with ​many new, important developments.

The last bulletin for 2014 will follow in September. Enjoy these last days of chimney swift viewing for the current season!

Happy birding, Barb.

Summer Update

The transition from June to July was a wicked weather weekend! A massive storm, which settled into the Province, blew in several inches of rain and closed the Winnipeg airport down on June 29 in the process. As a result of cumulative rain related events, the Red River Floodway was operated on July 1 and the flood fighting season began in the Assiniboine River system. Many of our monitors live in flood-impacted areas and we send our best wishes out to you all for a speedy recovery to pre-flood life.

More will follow on avian weather challenges, but first, a review of chimney swift biology will help explain why these birds are vulnerable to extreme weather events. Chimney swifts are obligate aerial insectivores. That mouthful means that in order to eat, chimney swifts have to collect insects out of the air column. Unlike purple martins which can drop to the ground and pick up insects (then themselves) if necessary, the long wings of a chimney swift hinder getting airborne again once they land on flat ground. The clinging-adapted feet of a chimney swift are also of little use to cope with horizontal surfaces and chimney swifts cannot perch on branches or wires to wait for prey items to pass by. Chimney swifts are either up in the air flying or inside their nest/roost sites clinging to a vertical surface.

Back to July issues. The type of wet 'n' windy weather we have experienced over the last month can cause a lot of problems for foraging chimney swifts. If rain is steady over many hours, and especially if it is coupled with strong winds, airborne insects are not concentrated or are washed out of the air column. High heat, humidity, and accompanying strong winds, which we also had in July, can disperse the aerial plankton too. The consequence at a nest site is that a patch of bugs may not be close enough for adults to collect food and return to hatchlings in a timely manner; starvation of the juveniles may ensue. Rain can also loosen the bond between nests and the vertical surface of the chimney which results in nest slippage.

Unfortunately, the St. Adolphe breeding flock has had problems in July. Of the 5 primary nesting attempts which were underway, 3 failed by July 21st. The SE Club Amical, Church, and Main St. residence adults stopped using the chimneys during the daytime but they continued to roost at night. The Southeast Club Amical adults recently started a secondary use of the chimney, but time is now too short for a successful nesting outcome. The NE Club Amical site is still active (feeding non-brooded juveniles) and at the Brodeur Bros. there is often manic activity as 1-2 helpers are assisting the breeding adults feed the young (you can tell how many birds are onsite by the sequence of entries and exits). Our fingers and feathers are crossed for successful fledging from the 2 active sites.

Despite the difficulties elsewhere, good news prevails in Selkirk. Ruby and her diligent group of monitors reported an exciting development in the discovery of a new site. On July 7, chimney swifts were observed entering a chimney on Manitoba Ave (i.e. the main west-to-east one-way street in Selkirk, running between Main St and Eveline Ave)". Congratulations on your sleuthing!

The active group of Selkirk monitors does a weekly Monday night monitoring session. Thanks for all of your hard work Ruby (team leader), Andy, Gerald, Carol, Nia, Ralph, Linda, and Virginia (regular volunteers), plus Sybil, Ray, Robert, Maggie, Barry, Jim, and Dorothy (backup crew)!!!

To the north, Ken and Jan continued to track the Dauphin roost site. The latest count on July 22 was 30 roosting swifts.

In Winnipeg, David, Adolf, Anna, and Peter are still reporting exceptionally high roost counts at Assiniboine School. On July 6, 70 swifts entered for the night and on July 14, 54 roosted.

It's hard to believe that August, which is our wrap-up month, will be upon us so soon. What will the home-stretch involve? For roost sites, expect to see counts peak again - although perhaps not as high as seen in the spring - as swifts group in preparation for migration. Ken notes that counts at his northern Dauphin roost site are the highest by August 6 usually. After fledging, the St. Adolphe birds may set up a local pre-migratory group which reflects the breeding adult population and new recruits that have just fledged. Southern roost sites, such as Selkirk, will have peak numbers later into August as northerly swifts may join in before continuing southward. Small numbers of birds may linger into early September.

At nest sites in August, activity will increase in the daytime prior to fledging. At ~21 days of age, juveniles move from the bowl of the nest to the wall of the chimney. Flight training ensues and the youngsters fly up and down the shaft to prepare for free flight. The adults eventually will lure the juveniles close to the rim of the chimney. Fledging (day 28-30) occurs when the juveniles burst out the top of the chimney and experience the open skies. It is not as romantic as it may sound. Free flying is a slow, follow-the-leader process for the fledglings. Getting back inside home base is not necessarily a pretty sight - the fledglings are led back to their natal chimney and entries can be difficult. There is a lot of fluttery, wing flapping to position over the opening and entry "misses" involve some tumbling down the outer surface of the chimney. Despite the breath-sucking drama, I have never seen a fatal entry event (said with wood-clutching superstition). However, flight proficiency is gained quickly and within 36 hours of fledging it may be difficult to distinguish fledglings from adults unless you see the wings. Adults will be in moult so missing wing feathers reveal gaps, while fledglings have intact wing margins.

The dispersal of chimney swifts from the summer range is linked to many factors. Temperature, photoperiod, food availability, and time of fledging all influence the bird's departure. August monitoring sessions - especially within the first two weeks of the month - will be valuable to track production at nest sites and migration from roost sites.

I enjoy reading about your sightings. We have had excellent coverage throughout the province this season and high quality data has been submitted. Thank you all for your efforts and, as we near season's end, keep your observations winging in!

All the best in birding, Barb.

Barb Stewart
St. Adolphe Monitor & MCSI Steering Committee Member

COUNTING CHIMNEY SWIFTS ON THE WING

COUNTING CHIMNEY SWIFTS ON THE WING IS EASIER USING AN IMAGE...but it still is challenging!

Chimney swifts up in the air

Chimney swifts seen everywhere

Some wings are up, some wings are down

Bodies tilt as they glide around

Some head toward us, some aim west

All will seek a place to rest

Some birds seem close, some further away

They need a place for a nighttime's stay

Tell me now, how well you fare

Counting chimney swifts up in the air!

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Try counting the chimney swifts circling above the chimney as they prepare to roost (top photo). You can check your counts against the "red blips" marked on the lower photo.​

 Larger version of photo A

Larger version of photo B

​Many thanks to NICK STEFANO, KINGSTON, ON, for taking this amazing photo of chimney swifts approaching a roost at 318 Westdale Ave, Kingston, On (May 18, 2014). Thanks also to Rob Stewart for applying his "walrus census technique" to counting the birds (Photo B). Both images were posted by Frank Machovec, our much appreciated webmaster.

MCSI News Flash: wrapping up June and Canada Day beginnings

The summer solstice has just passed so, for another few days, we have the maximum amount of daylight hours to enjoy "chimney swifting". Continued thanks are sent out to all of the volunteers who are diligently monitoring nest and roost sites - through the morning, daytime, and evening.

 

 At the Old Grace Hospital, Nicole reported that a pigeon on the rim of the chimney delayed some entry attempts to roost and kept a couple of swifts on the wing past curfew. David and Adolf had issues with a crow on the rim of Assiniboine School, ~ 0530 H, which may have disrupted the departure of roosting birds (well done gents for that early morning effort!). The Assiniboine School roost continues to draw observers - at least 70 to 80 swifts have been counted recently. We also welcome opportunistic sightings such as those reported by Vere in Fort Rouge, William at the Assiniboine Park Duck Pond, and Cal near McTavish's Lodge in Wasagaming.

What can you expect for July observations? More heat and mosquitoes likely. It is good to have an abundant source of prey items for the insectivorous birds, chimney swifts included. Timing is everything and as hatching is very close at hand now, a bounty of food is essential for adults feeding juveniles inside the chimney. Look for a change of activity patterns at nest sites. The once an hour exchange between incubating adults (one entry followed by an exit within a couple of minutes usually) will change to 2 or perhaps 3 exchanges per hour when hatching, and therefore the start of feeding, occurs. After 6-7 days of brooding, when the adults help regulate the juvenile's temperature by covering them, the young can be non-brooded. At this stage, typically 3 to 4 feeding entry/exit exchanges of adults take place per hour and consecutive entries/exits reflect both adults foraging independently. Some rare and extremely high entry/exit rates e.g., 20 times per hour, may reflect adults reaping a locally abundant patch of insects.

At roost sites in July, the number of chimney swifts entering at night may decline from the spring peak. Non-breeding adults and immature birds may disperse to places unknown during the summer. Ken, in Dauphin, notes that their end of May counts are usually the highest for the season and then a secondary peak occurs in late July just before migration. Ruby & Co. in Selkirk, being further south, may have numbers peaking in August and often have some of the last sightings in the Province while migration is well underway.

Winging our way through Ontario recently (June 13th to 21st) was a delight. Chimney swift sightings near the Orillia Opera House, the Beaches area of Toronto, downtown Guelph, Thames St. in Ingersoll, the main street in Stratford (a drive-by sighting overhead!), and the central square in Goderich were made easily during the day and at dusk. We left chimney swift remembrances of our visits with family and friends behind - sore neck muscles from sleuthing missions; advocacy issues such as how we would protect a previously used chimney from current raccoon habitation (metal flashing on the chimney should work!); and monitoring missions at newly discovered sites passed along to newly converted swift-o-philes. Good luck to Dave & Sue who are the new expert monitors at St. George's Anglican Church in Goderich!

One common theme that Rob and I heard was how the birds were identified for the "first" time by locals because chimney swifts were not obtrusive and had been previously overlooked e.g., "I must have seen them before but I thought that they were swallows".  The other theme was "HOW DO I get a good photograph of these birds?!". Capturing a chimney swift in a still frame is a challenge to a seasoned photographer! Pass your tips along...

Of particular interest, we revisited The New Beach United Church. Two chimneys were saved from demolition in 2012 once local residents, Murray and Kathy, identified the site (initially discovered during another family trip in 2011) as chimney swift habitat to the church congregation and architects responsible for redeveloping the building. Chimney swifts were active in the area during the daytime and used both chimneys at night for roosting on June 17, 2014.

Shortly before the Ontario excursion, Jan and Ken in Dauphin reported a unique sighting of a chimney swift dropping into a terra cotta lined chimney on their roost site building. What was happening? This type of chimney has no known documented use (by our group at least).  Fast forward to Orillia. As we tracked swifts circling the skies around the Opera House, one bird made a distinct entry-type drop over a building to the east. A terra cotta lined chimney was noted once we changed position slightly - the site of the highly suspected entry event. We think that chimney swifts may be able to get toe-holds on the seams of the terra cotta liners or more easily grab onto eroded surfaces; these liners would likely not be suitable for nesting sites as juveniles need to be able to "walk" up vertical surfaces during early flight training exercises inside the chimneys. If you have any thoughts or experiences with terra cotta lined chimneys, please send them our way!

Many opportunities exist for raising the public profile of chimney swifts and advocating for habitat conservation. ​Keeping your eyes to the sky may be a cliché, however, chimney swifts can be silent, stealthy birds which feed quickly and slip easily into nest sites without detection.​ The roosting hour aggregation is at dusk when people generally are busy and not expecting to see chimney top activity. Let the chimney swifts show you what is happening...small numbers of low flying birds seen during the day indicate that nest sites could be close-by. Larger groups of chimney swifts assembling at the roosting hour (1/2 hour before sunset to 1/2 hour after sunset) portend the spectacle of circling and swooping/feinting away from chimney rims before the "vacuum switch" is turned on and the funneling into the chimney occurs. As chimney swift stewards, we can all expand our knowledge of the distribution and abundance of these fast fliers and help protect habitat one chimney at a time.

 

​Happy Canada Day to you all! I hope that you savour the considerable bounty of our nation.  Keep your chimney swift observations coming in and, of course, let us know of any site that needs repair/restoration/or raccoon butt intervention.  

Happy birding, Barb. ​