The Chimney Swifts are coming! The Chimney Swifts are coming! What is a Chimney Swift you ask? The Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica, is a small, very agile, swallow-like, sooty- colored bird with long pointed wings. They look like a “flying cigar” with a short tail tipped with spines. You often hear their pleasing chippering sound before you see them. Chimney Swifts feed exclusively on insects caught while in flight. Our Manitoba swifts arrive in mid May. Using their own sticky saliva and twigs, adults construct a cup-shaped nest well down inside pre-1960’s era brick chimneys. The female then lays from 2 to 7 eggs which hatch in 18-21 days. The young fledge when they are 30 days old. Departing by late August, they winter in Peru, South America. They are the only species of swift that breed in eastern North America as far west as Manitoba. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has listed the Chimney Swift as a threatened species, and it is now listed on Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act. The Chimney Swift is also listed as a Threatened Species under the Manitoba Endangered Species Act.
Geocachers are known to have a good eye for finding small things. Come out and put those skills to the test. Join us as we observe the Chimney Swifts make their way into a chimney (The roosting hour). We will try and count how many Swifts show up at this particular site. There will be 2 opportunities to do so (May 24 and June 5). The United Church has granted us permission to use their parking lot as a staging area. Bring your own lawnchair and binoculars if you like.
Special thank you to Jan&Ken for approaching us with this idea for an event. If you would to learn more about the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative visit http://www.mbchimneyswift.com