A friend bought a Purple Martin house, paid to have it erected, played a tape that was supposed to attract them to the roost. She and her neighbors were at a loss as to why they wouldn't use the expensive bird house. I had to break it to them that the "Purple Martins" were in fact...Chimney Swifts. ☺️
Is this video in real time? Here on the west coast, we have Vaux's Swifts. They migrate through usually the first week of September. I'm surprised to see that Chimney Swifts migrate so much later. An old school in the town of Monroe WA has a chimney that was slated for removal until it was pointed out that it is used by the swifts. Instead of being destroyed the chimney was reinforced to meet earthquake requirements and preserve it for the swifts to roost in. Most of my friends are non-birders but I have taken many of them to see the swifts' very impressive show as they funnel into the chimney at dusk.
The Middle School across the street from our home is a school campus built in the 30’s, has 2 standing chimney towers. One capped and one not. The open chimney has had a colony of Chimney Swifts roosting in it for the nearly 30 years we have lived here. “Here” is near Raleigh, North Carolina. They leave (we think) in late fall, and return in late March, though I have only recently started birding, thus only recently started to pay attention to this amazing spectacle. I have “rough” counted about 400 birds diving into the chimney, but have not tried to do a more precise count, so after watching your clip, I am inspired to do a better job of both counting and monitoring their arrivals and departures. My guess is there are about 1,000 birds in our neighborhood colony. We are so used to them being in the air all spring and summer. Love the “comforting” sound they make. Is always nice when they return, one of the signs of spring, and of course is incredible that they return each year from their wintering home well south of here. Is just so cool to sit in they front yard and watch.
I got to experience a similar thing last summer in southern Arizona. We were staying in an abandoned mining town, and upwards of 200,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats roosted in the abandoned mineshafts, so we got to experience them entering and exiting every morning and night. When we were lucky, we got to see Red-tailed Hawks or Peregrine Falcons diving through the stream of bats trying to snag one of them.
My first trip to Costa Rica in 2014, we stayed at a hotel in San Jose. A building next door had a terra cotta roof and at dusk, thousands of bats 🦇 poured out for the night! What a sight!
We have chimney swifts that live in our chimney in the summer. It’s cool to sit in the living room at night hearing them especially when the babies hatch.
I hadn't noticed them before, but this summer I started using the Merlin sound app, and there was almost always small groups of them flying over and chattering away. This was in the western part of Toronto, north of High Park, and apparently there's some chimneys they use in the area.
Really cool video! We have a roost near my home that gets thousands of Chimney Swifts in fall. My estimate was well over five thousand last time I saw it.
Oh that sound!! It brings back so many memories of every year when the chimney at my grandfather's place would house a breeding pair of swifts. (I guess a pair, we never did get a good look at the nest itself of course). They were so noisy in there haha! We'd know when it was fledging time too, because every year at least one baby would mess it up and fall down into the fireplace area. We never actually used that fireplace but it had a screen, so the baby would be stuck inside and fussing and flapping. We'd get a tea towel and carefully catch it, then take it on outside and let it go. Always felt so great to help the little guy out, you know? And they came back again and again so I guess they appreciated us doing that, just as much as having the chimney, heh. I don't see them where I live now. Nobody seems to have chimneys. But I'm sure gonna go look up those plans and see if I can convince some folks to build them - if not inside the city then out in the more rural parts at the edges!
They breed a bit more in my area because I live in an old city with more chimneys than most cities. After they breed, they start to become more social and start collecting in flocks, I suppose as they keep migrating back, they'll pick up more members sort of how a river collects. In my area, there were just over 20 of them that would roost in a certain chimney that I know. I used to record them every day going into that chimney. In my area, they arrive either late March or April. This year they left in mid September. I used to go up to my roof to try to film them as they were flying around. Although I've taken great pictures of many things with my cameras, I need a different camera to film them while flying because all my efforts with my 4 cameras weren't fruitful. Video recording them when you know they are going into a chimney is one thing, but filming them while they are flying around and eating insects is a lot harder. They fly so fast and erratic. If I had more land, I would definitely build a chimney swift tower for them. I know you use a Lumix FZ80, have you tried filming them with that camera while they were in flight and eating insects? Video filming them in flight is something I am going to try again, even if I have to buy another camera to do it.
haha omg i live next to an abandoned school in the middle of a small city (upstate ny) and we have chimney swifts almost all year round, aside from winter of course. they do this all around the city because of it
We did! They worked well! Unfortunately the recording was blurry since they weren’t focused all the way when it was recorded, so we opted to not include it.
Chimney Swifts (or any bird in general) existed way before any man made chimneys were created so why does it matter if chimney swifts don’t have chimneys to nest in? They have adapted to using them once humans created them and I’m sure they can adapt to the lack of them in the future just like they have before they were invented.. no?
Habitat loss. Many of the sites they historically nested in have been removed by development, therefore providing an alternative helps to keep the population going.
When they go into chimneys, that is something that they have to resort to. Some chimneys are very dangerous with very small openings. I've seen them flying in those tiny openings at speeds that I can't believe are anywhere near safe. I've also seen and filmed them in the rain and wind trying so hard to go back into that chimney and just couldn't make it. The entrance hole to that chimney is like 6-8 inches round. Chimneys are Plan B, they are trying to adapt and it's so sad to see what they have to go through to survive. Adapting to Plan C or Plan D....that is like asking fish to adapt to living in trees.
A friend bought a Purple Martin house, paid to have it erected, played a tape that was supposed to attract them to the roost. She and her neighbors were at a loss as to why they wouldn't use the expensive bird house. I had to break it to them that the "Purple Martins" were in fact...Chimney Swifts. ☺️
America is a beautiful country with lots of beautiful birds! Thanks for sharing.
Is this video in real time? Here on the west coast, we have Vaux's Swifts. They migrate through usually the first week of September. I'm surprised to see that Chimney Swifts migrate so much later.
An old school in the town of Monroe WA has a chimney that was slated for removal until it was pointed out that it is used by the swifts. Instead of being destroyed the chimney was reinforced to meet earthquake requirements and preserve it for the swifts to roost in.
Most of my friends are non-birders but I have taken many of them to see the swifts' very impressive show as they funnel into the chimney at dusk.
I believe we filmed this in September!
The Middle School across the street from our home is a school campus built in the 30’s, has 2 standing chimney towers. One capped and one not. The open chimney has had a colony of Chimney Swifts roosting in it for the nearly 30 years we have lived here. “Here” is near Raleigh, North Carolina. They leave (we think) in late fall, and return in late March, though I have only recently started birding, thus only recently started to pay attention to this amazing spectacle. I have “rough” counted about 400 birds diving into the chimney, but have not tried to do a more precise count, so after watching your clip, I am inspired to do a better job of both counting and monitoring their arrivals and departures. My guess is there are about 1,000 birds in our neighborhood colony. We are so used to them being in the air all spring and summer. Love the “comforting” sound they make. Is always nice when they return, one of the signs of spring, and of course is incredible that they return each year from their wintering home well south of here. Is just so cool to sit in they front yard and watch.
I love my chimney swifts. They come every year. I have babies right now.
That’s awesome! In your chimney?
I got to experience a similar thing last summer in southern Arizona. We were staying in an abandoned mining town, and upwards of 200,000 Mexican Free-tailed Bats roosted in the abandoned mineshafts, so we got to experience them entering and exiting every morning and night. When we were lucky, we got to see Red-tailed Hawks or Peregrine Falcons diving through the stream of bats trying to snag one of them.
That's cool. The chimney swift is the only kind of swift I've seen so far. They also look like a flying cigar.
My first trip to Costa Rica in 2014, we stayed at a hotel in San Jose. A building next door had a terra cotta roof and at dusk, thousands of bats 🦇 poured out for the night! What a sight!
We have chimney swifts that live in our chimney in the summer. It’s cool to sit in the living room at night hearing them especially when the babies hatch.
very interesting
I hadn't noticed them before, but this summer I started using the Merlin sound app, and there was almost always small groups of them flying over and chattering away. This was in the western part of Toronto, north of High Park, and apparently there's some chimneys they use in the area.
Really cool video! We have a roost near my home that gets thousands of Chimney Swifts in fall. My estimate was well over five thousand last time I saw it.
Oh that sound!! It brings back so many memories of every year when the chimney at my grandfather's place would house a breeding pair of swifts. (I guess a pair, we never did get a good look at the nest itself of course). They were so noisy in there haha! We'd know when it was fledging time too, because every year at least one baby would mess it up and fall down into the fireplace area. We never actually used that fireplace but it had a screen, so the baby would be stuck inside and fussing and flapping. We'd get a tea towel and carefully catch it, then take it on outside and let it go. Always felt so great to help the little guy out, you know? And they came back again and again so I guess they appreciated us doing that, just as much as having the chimney, heh.
I don't see them where I live now. Nobody seems to have chimneys. But I'm sure gonna go look up those plans and see if I can convince some folks to build them - if not inside the city then out in the more rural parts at the edges!
Thanks for sharing another awesome video like always 🐦❤️🤗
I fed inspired to go build a fake chimney now!
I had not heard of this, thanks
They breed a bit more in my area because I live in an old city with more chimneys than most cities. After they breed, they start to become more social and start collecting in flocks, I suppose as they keep migrating back, they'll pick up more members sort of how a river collects. In my area, there were just over 20 of them that would roost in a certain chimney that I know. I used to record them every day going into that chimney. In my area, they arrive either late March or April. This year they left in mid September. I used to go up to my roof to try to film them as they were flying around. Although I've taken great pictures of many things with my cameras, I need a different camera to film them while flying because all my efforts with my 4 cameras weren't fruitful. Video recording them when you know they are going into a chimney is one thing, but filming them while they are flying around and eating insects is a lot harder. They fly so fast and erratic. If I had more land, I would definitely build a chimney swift tower for them. I know you use a Lumix FZ80, have you tried filming them with that camera while they were in flight and eating insects? Video filming them in flight is something I am going to try again, even if I have to buy another camera to do it.
amazing
Where I live in south AL you do not usually see swifts on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
👍♥️
haha omg i live next to an abandoned school in the middle of a small city (upstate ny) and we have chimney swifts almost all year round, aside from winter of course. they do this all around the city because of it
Im a vaux's boy :) but apparently they also do this, they are just far less common and live in generally more mountainous areas.
Fun fact, the swifts above the chimney in the background of the cover photo are actually Vaux's but they're blurred out so you can't really tell. :)
@@BadgerlandBirding **says literally every hardcore Los Angeles birder** 🤣
Did you try out your night vision binos with the swifts? This might have been a good test for them.
We did! They worked well! Unfortunately the recording was blurry since they weren’t focused all the way when it was recorded, so we opted to not include it.
Chimney Swifts (or any bird in general) existed way before any man made chimneys were created so why does it matter if chimney swifts don’t have chimneys to nest in? They have adapted to using them once humans created them and I’m sure they can adapt to the lack of them in the future just like they have before they were invented.. no?
Habitat loss. Many of the sites they historically nested in have been removed by development, therefore providing an alternative helps to keep the population going.
When they go into chimneys, that is something that they have to resort to. Some chimneys are very dangerous with very small openings. I've seen them flying in those tiny openings at speeds that I can't believe are anywhere near safe. I've also seen and filmed them in the rain and wind trying so hard to go back into that chimney and just couldn't make it. The entrance hole to that chimney is like 6-8 inches round. Chimneys are Plan B, they are trying to adapt and it's so sad to see what they have to go through to survive. Adapting to Plan C or Plan D....that is like asking fish to adapt to living in trees.