Count Chimney Swifts
with Paul Hunter at St. Robert's Church
on Capitol and Maryland in Shorewood , Wisconsin
Between 7:55 and
8:15 PM on Sunday , August 14, 2005
3 observers saw 45 swifts dive into the school's chimney at St.
Robert's Church.
The weather was clear, calm and about 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Between 7:15 and 7:38
PM on Friday, September 9, 2005
8 observers saw 1000 swifts dive
into the school's chimney at St.
Robert's Church.
The weather was clear, calm and about 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
A
Swift Night Out:
Aug 12, 13 & 14 and Sept 9, 10 & 11, 2005
As summer draws to a close and the swifts have finished raising their
young, these fascinating aerial acrobats begin to congregate in
communal roosts prior to their migration in the fall. Some
roosts may consist of an extended family group of a half a dozen birds
or so, but the larger sites can host hundreds or even thousands of
swifts! Keep your eyes to the skies at dusk in late July and
watch for areas where swifts are feeding. Look for a tall
shaft, chimney or similar structure to locate where Chimney Swifts go
to roost.
On one night over the weekend of August 12, 13, 14, and / or September
9, 10, 11 observe the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk and
estimate the number of swifts that enter.
National Swift Night Out: a
count of swifts in fall
coordinated by the
Driftwood Wildlife Association in
Austin, Texas
2005 Results
2004 Results
2003 Results
History Since
2001
in migration Chimney Swifts
sleep together in chimneys.
These roosts number from dozens to thousands of birds.
Before settling down at dusk the birds swirl around a chimney,
twittering excitedly for a half hour.
Within 10 minutes of the first bird diving in, all the birds have
disappeared.
Before European settlers cut down most of the forest in the eastern
United States,
Chimney Swifts used to mainly nest and roost in hollow trees.
They then adapted to chimneys.
Now chimneys are disappearing as old buildings are torn down.
The Texas Dept. of Parks and Wildlife has ideas for
Providing
and Maintaining Nesting Habitat for Chimney Swifts.
The
Driftwood Wildlife Association in Austin, Texas
built a Chimney
Swift tower.
Chimney
Swifts usually nest one pair per chimney, but