Latest news with #chimneySwifts
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Influx of chimney swifts in N.B., promising sign for threatened species: experts
FREDERICTON — The spring migratory season got off to an encouraging start for one threatened bird species, a national conservation group says, noting it recently logged thousands of chimney swifts at a single address in Fredricton. Allison Manthorne, associate director of Atlantic programs with Birds Canada, said chimney swift numbers have dropped by about 90 per cent since the 1970s. So when Birds Canada counted more than 2,400 chimney swifts pouring into a city flue on the evening of May 25, she said the group was pleasantly surprised. "It's the only large roost that we know of in Fredericton at the moment ... typically, we'll see this kind of pulse in late May of a few hundred birds," she said. "Sometimes there's a bit of a traffic jam, and maybe it's weather, maybe it's a predator, maybe it's a big storm down south, ... We're not entirely sure what happened to make all of these 2,400 swifts pack into that roost on that particular night." Manthorne said Birds Canada staff and volunteers participate in a national roost monitoring survey on four set dates across chimney swift nesting sites every year. Manthorne said the last time Birds Canada counted close to this number of chimney swifts — about 2,700 — was in 2018. The scimitar-shaped chimney swifts are classified as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and are also protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Environment and Climate Change Canada estimated the chimney swift population stood between 20,000 and 70,000 mature birds as of 2023. It said the long-term goal is to maintain a stable population between 2033 and 2043, while the short-term objective is to halt the drop in numbers within 10 years. Chimney swifts are long-distance migrants, breeding anywhere between Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia and wintering in South America. They regularly nest in chimneys or other tall stacks on their travels. Nick Lund, a network manager for U.S. wildlife conservation organization Maine Audubon, called chimney swifts incredible birds. "They're often called a cigar with wings," he said while describing their short, tubelike bodies flanked by scythe-like appendages. "They spend their days zooming around over towns and cities, gulping flying insects out of the air. ... They're never seen perched or on the ground, unless you're able to peer into a nest chimney." Lund said there's a lot to love about chimney swifts, especially for city-dwellers with fewer opportunities to see the natural world in action. 'They're unlike any other bird you'd find in a city — very different from pigeons or starlings — and so they're a great connection to a wilder world for many people." Scientists say the birds are now threatened due to climate change, habitat loss and pesticide use, which depletes the supply of flying insects they rely on for food. "It's not just one single threat," Manthorne said. "It's this constellation of threats, and they're doing the best they can to survive." In 2021, University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner said climate change, insecticides, herbicides, light pollution, invasive species and changes in agriculture and land use are causing Earth to lose probably one to two per cent of its insects each year. Insects 'are absolutely the fabric by which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built,' Wagner said. Ripple effects of habitat loss is affecting not just insects, but birds too. Lund said chimney swifts used to nest in large trees hollowed out by lightning or other forces. But now, he said they nest exclusively in the closest manmade equivalent: chimneys. Manthorne said the birds have large eyes, short legs and "giant" feet that they use to cling on the inside of hollow trees or chimneys. The birds also have distinctive tails, where each feather has a pointy end that helps the birds climb smokestacks. "When they're clinging to the inside of a chimney at night, they're using their giant feet with their big claws, and they're using their tails, and they can hang on to the side of a vertical surface all night," she said. "It's really cool." They often return to past nesting sites, she added, noting that pattern highlights the importance of spots like the roosting site in Fredericton. Manthorne is troubled by what she says is a common misconception that birds and humans can't comfortably co-exist. "We always say chimney swifts make really good house guests. They're clean, they're tidy, they're not loud. You probably wouldn't even know that they're there unless somebody told you, 'Hey, I saw a bird flying down your chimney,'" she said. "If you've got a pair of swifts, it's really special. You're providing a home for this threatened species. And they've chosen your chimney for a reason." — With files from The Associated Press. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025. The Canadian Press
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Influx of chimney swifts in N.B., promising sign for threatened species: experts
A pair of chimney swifts are shown silhouetted in an undated handout photo. Chimney swifts are long-distance migratory birds, breeding in east-central Saskatchewan, southern Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia and wintering in South America. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Birds Canada, *MANDATORY CREDIT* FREDERICTON — The spring migratory season got off to an encouraging start for one threatened bird species, a national conservation group says, noting it recently logged thousands of chimney swifts at a single address in Fredericton. Allison Manthorne, associate director of Atlantic programs with Birds Canada, said chimney swift numbers have dropped by about 90 per cent since the 1970s. So when Birds Canada counted more than 2,400 chimney swifts pouring into a city flue on the evening of May 25, she said the group was pleasantly surprised. 'It's the only large roost that we know of in Fredericton at the moment ... typically, we'll see this kind of pulse in late May of a few hundred birds,' she said. 'Sometimes there's a bit of a traffic jam, and maybe it's weather, maybe it's a predator, maybe it's a big storm down south, ... We're not entirely sure what happened to make all of these 2,400 swifts pack into that roost on that particular night.' Manthorne said Birds Canada staff and volunteers participate in a national roost monitoring survey on four set dates across chimney swift nesting sites every year. Manthorne said the last time Birds Canada counted close to this number of chimney swifts — about 2,700 — was in 2018. The scimitar-shaped chimney swifts are classified as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and are also protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Environment and Climate Change Canada estimated the chimney swift population stood between 20,000 and 70,000 mature birds as of 2023. It said the long-term goal is to maintain a stable population between 2033 and 2043, while the short-term objective is to halt the drop in numbers within 10 years. Chimney swifts are long-distance migrants, breeding anywhere between Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia and wintering in South America. They regularly nest in chimneys or other tall stacks on their travels. Nick Lund, a network manager for U.S. wildlife conservation organization Maine Audubon, called chimney swifts incredible birds. 'They're often called a cigar with wings,' he said while describing their short, tubelike bodies flanked by scythe-like appendages. 'They spend their days zooming around over towns and cities, gulping flying insects out of the air. ... They're never seen perched or on the ground, unless you're able to peer into a nest chimney.' Lund said there's a lot to love about chimney swifts, especially for city-dwellers with fewer opportunities to see the natural world in action. 'They're unlike any other bird you'd find in a city — very different from pigeons or starlings — and so they're a great connection to a wilder world for many people." Scientists say the birds are now threatened due to climate change, habitat loss and pesticide use, which depletes the supply of flying insects they rely on for food. 'It's not just one single threat,' Manthorne said. 'It's this constellation of threats, and they're doing the best they can to survive.' In 2021, University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner said climate change, insecticides, herbicides, light pollution, invasive species and changes in agriculture and land use are causing Earth to lose probably one to two per cent of its insects each year. Insects 'are absolutely the fabric by which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built,' Wagner said. Ripple effects of habitat loss are affecting not just insects, but birds too. Lund said chimney swifts used to nest in large trees hollowed out by lightning or other forces. But now, he said they nest exclusively in the closest manmade equivalent: chimneys. Manthorne said the birds have large eyes, short legs and 'giant' feet that they use to cling on the inside of hollow trees or chimneys. The birds also have distinctive tails, where each feather has a pointy end that helps the birds climb smokestacks. 'When they're clinging to the inside of a chimney at night, they're using their giant feet with their big claws, and they're using their tails, and they can hang on to the side of a vertical surface all night,' she said. 'It's really cool.' They often return to past nesting sites, she added, noting that pattern highlights the importance of spots like the roosting site in Fredericton. Manthorne is troubled by what she says is a common misconception that birds and humans can't comfortably co-exist. 'We always say chimney swifts make really good house guests. They're clean, they're tidy, they're not loud. You probably wouldn't even know that they're there unless somebody told you, 'Hey, I saw a bird flying down your chimney,'' she said. 'If you've got a pair of swifts, it's really special. You're providing a home for this threatened species. And they've chosen your chimney for a reason.' — With files from The Associated Press. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025.
CBC
31-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Room for 2,400? Chimney swifts check into a Fredericton chimney
You might not want to live in a chimney, but for a chimney swift, it's the ideal place to rest — and a Fredericton chimney was a recent pit stop for more than 2,400 of the tiny birds. "They're stopping at these roost chimneys along the way, almost like hotels on a road trip," said Allison Manthorne, an aerial insectivore conservation strategist with Birds Canada. But while chimney swifts like to warm up and nest in chimneys, it isn't necessarily common to see 2,400 fly into a single chimney anymore, Manthorne said. "The national population of chimney swifts has declined by about 90 per cent since the 1970s," she said. This is why counts like the Fredericton one are a good sign for the population. A chimney swift is most likely to be found high up in the sky, Manthorne said. From below, the bird appears as a boomerang-shaped, black silhouette. Their legs are short but they have relatively huge feet, helping them cling vertically to surfaces. Nationally and in New Brunswick, the species is threatened. Birds Canada has a national roost monitoring-program that puts staff and volunteers at roost sites to count the birds entering particular chimneys. Manthorne said this helps the group get a sense of whether the population is increasing or decreasing. Last weekend, Emma Lennox, a Birds Canada technician, was at the Fredericton roost near Queen's Square as part of the national count. She took a video so the organization could play it back in slow motion and get an accurate count. WATCH | Birds make pit stop at Fredericton chimney: How many swifts can fit in a chimney? At least 2,400! 4 days ago Duration 2:15 A technician with Birds Canada captured more than 2,400 chimney swifts flying into a Fredericton chimney on May 25. That video captured more than 2,400 swifts entering the chimney. "That is only the second highest number or total of chimney swifts that we've counted at that roost," Manthorne said. "The last time we counted anything close to the 2,400 … was in 2018 and the record was 2,700 birds. "All of those birds are funnelling into that one chimney, and they're roosting together overnight. Now this happens across the Maritimes and across … Eastern Canada, but not really anywhere close to those numbers." Chimney swifts are relatively small birds, about 12 to 15 centimetres long, with a wingspan of only about 30 centimetres. Once they get into the chimney, Manthorne said as the night goes on, they cuddle closer together, helping them to regulate their temperatures and conserve energy. "They can pack in so close that it's almost like ... house shingles," she said. "Occasionally, you'll see that kind of band of swifts in their little snuggle puddle ... go up or down the wall based on what the temperature is." Manthorne said the birds fly to the region from South America and stop at roost chimneys along the way. When they reach their destination, they meet up with their partner and, once the weather is good enough, each pair will find its own chimney to nest in. She said the best chimneys are unlined and in their original condition, and it's important to preserve the chimneys that do exist. Masonry, stone or concrete chimneys aren't really being built anymore. "If you are lucky enough to have a nesting pair in your chimney, you could expect year after year that that same pair will come back, and it's likely that their offspring will then come back in generations in the future." And because the birds are a threatened species, Manthorne said, it's also crucial to not harm them if they roost in your chimney. It's a good idea to close your damper once you've stopped heating for the season, so the birds can't get inside. And if your chimney is lined with metal, it's a good idea to have a cap on it because often the birds, or other animals, will go down the chimney and can't get out. Most of the time though, people don't even know if they have swifts in their chimney. "They're really good house guests," Manthorne said.
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
How many swifts can fit in a chimney? At least 2,400!
A technician with Birds Canada captured more than 2,400 chimney swifts flying into a Fredericton chimney on May 25.
