Chimney Swifts

Image by Ron Erwin

SwiftWatch is a Canada-wide citizen science monitoring and conservation program that provides volunteers and community groups an opportunity to act as stewards for Chimney Swifts - a federally and provincially listed Species-at-Risk.

Every spring, Chimney Swifts travel from their wintering grounds in South America to roost and nest in chimneys across central and eastern Canada. Once reliant on hollow trees in old-growth forests, these aerial insectivores have adapted to human-made chimneys - becoming an important member of our urban communities.

But Chimney Swifts are once again facing complex challenges. Since the 1970s, their population has declined by more than 90% due to the loss of old-growth forests and traditional chimneys, modern chimney modifications such as capping, lining, and removals, pesticide use reducing their insect food supply, and climate change.

Since 2012, the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists (PECFN) have been actively monitoring Chimney Swifts as well as managing the annual SwiftWatch campaign, which occurs between mid-May and mid-June each year, in an effort to track the remaining number of swifts that make the County their home.

Volunteers from all corners of Prince Edward County participate in a nightly counting exercise, attempting to track the number of swifts that enter local chimneys for the purpose of roosting each evening. While the number of roosting swifts range widely from chimney to chimney, as many as 140 or more swifts have been seen entering a single chimney in one night.

Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (PEPtBO) members have been actively involved in this annual campaign, contributing important research and expert knowledge in an effort to fill critical information gaps and address key threats. Together with PECFN, we are working with local homeowners, nature groups, and the municipality to maintain and protect regional habitat and critical chimney sites for these precious birds.

Composite Image by Ron Erwin