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Speedy Aerialists Need Our Help |
Chimney
Swifts are small, acrobatic birds that migrate from the Amazon Basin of
Peru, Brazil and Chile and come to nest here beginning in mid-April.
Easily observed, they are a common sight in much of Wisconsin. As noted
in the Breeding Bird Atlas of Wisconsin: "Chittering overhead, these
expert aerialists claim the daytime skies as their own.... These
fast-flying, constantly-on-the-go birds only rest at night or when
sitting on eggs."
Chimney Swifts nest throughout the state, preferring human-made structures such as chimneys. They are found not only in populated areas like cities and towns, but also in rural areas with scattered farm buildings. Historically, they nested and roosted on the interior walls of hollow trees. As old forests were cut down, the birds adapted to a man-made habitat – masonry chimneys.
Modern chimneys, however, have displaced the birds as the chimney’s metal or ceramic liners leave the birds nowhere to perch, leaving fewer places for the swifts to nest. Also, many homeowners are installing screens or capping their chimneys to prevent birds and other wildlife from entering, which eliminates other potential nesting sites.
Chimney Swift populations in Wisconsin have declined by more than 2% annually for the last 28 years, making them one of the target species for protection under the Bird City Wisconsin program. Under the Basic Requirements for Bird City recognition, one qualification criteria is for a community to be represented in at least one bird monitoring program such as Swift Night Out. As communities seek to strengthen their commitment to urban bird conservation and earn a High Flyer Award from Bird City, they will need to meet additional bird protection criteria. Among those is offering a program to preserve Chimney Swift roosting sites and/or constructing alternative Chimney Swift towers, which are essentially fake-chimney nesting structures.
Swift Night Out
is a continent-wide Chimney Swift roost monitoring project launched in 2001. To participate, you will need to locate a Chimney Swift roost in your area. On one night over the weekend of Aug. 6-8 and/or Sept. 10-12, you observe the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk and estimate the number of swifts that enter.Here is the link for more details and to report your results
Andy
Paulios coordinator of the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative,
encourages Wisconsin residents to enter their
Chimney Swift (or any other bird sightings) into
Wisconsin 
.
"This is a great program managed by Cornell that tracks bird populations
across the Western Hemisphere. It keeps track of your life list and
makes your observations available to the larger ornithological
community," Paulios said.
Nearby, Audubon Minnesota has initiated the Chimney Swift Conservation Project as part of its Audubon at Home program. The project partners with parks, nature centers, schools, corporations, individuals and others to construct artificial chimneys and Chimney Swift towers and to educate citizens about what they can to do help this species. Here are some of the things Audubon at Home suggests:
- Plant native trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses that will attract more insects than non-natives. Chimney Swifts feed exclusively on flying insects.
- Investigate the possibility of an alternative venting system if you are converting a furnace or hot water heater to gas, leaving the chimney unlined and uncapped for the swifts.
- Encourage your neighborhood parks, schools, and businesses to consider building an artificial nesting structure.
Here's the link for more details
And here are a few more links worth checking out:
| Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Chimney Swifts |
| Maryland Department of Natural Resources - Chimney Swift Tower Plans |
| Chimney Swifts.org |
