Well done Jeff! And for other interested parties, below is my original email to the NH birds list (I can't post to UV Birders from work). If someone would be so kind as to post it to the VT list, it'd be much appreciated. Thanks, Pam Hunt -------- Greetings NH Birders, As some of you know, populations of Chimney Swifts have been in decline over most of the species' range for several years now. The species is listed as "Threatened" in Canada, and is now considered a priority in many northeastern states. There has been a fair bit of work on swifts over the last few years, and one general conclusion is that there appear to be plenty of "suitable" next sites (e.g., chimneys) that aren't used. We know less about the locations and characteristics of Chimney Swift roosts - where large numbers gather during migration (and smaller numbers during the breeding season). These roosts are almost always tall old chimneys, and it may turn out that they are more of a limiting factor than nest sites. To that end, a new project is starting to take shape in NH and VT with the goal of seeing if we can get a better handle on the status of swifts in our two states. Most of the details are far from sorted out at this point, but one thing is pretty clear: we need more data. Chimney Swifts have just returned in the last week, and as numbers build they'll become more obvious at roosts for a couple of weeks (when they'll start thinking about nesting). I encourage all birders who see large groups of swifts AT DUSK to do the following: 1) See if you can find out where they're going to roost. Birds will generally funnel into a chimney right around dusk. If you know there are a lot of swifts in your area, you can always scout out possible roosts ahead of time - large chimneys are often associated with old factories and schools, but could be anywhere. 2) If you do find an active roost, COUNT (or estimate) the number of birds entering it. Feel free to do this multiple times this month to see how things change. 3) MOST IMPORTANTLY, SUBMIT your data to eBird (http://ebird.org/content/nh for NH and http://ebird.org/content/vt for VT). If you don't have an eBird account, consider getting one - it's easy to use and a great way to capture your own data and an increasingly important tool for conservation projects such as this. When you enter the data, PLEASE be sure to indicate in the comments that this was a roost count, and consider describing the roost site a little. That way we can distinguish roosts from large foraging groups. As the season progresses, it'd be great for folks to report known nesting sites as well. These will usually be indicated by only 1-2 birds entering a residential chimney, and if you happen to be hosting a pair you may very well hear them once the young start making more noise later in June. Please DON'T send data directly to me - I'll be out of town from May 11 to approx. June 15. Thanks much, and good birding. Pam Pamela D. Hunt, Ph.D. Avian Conservation Biologist Audubon Society of New Hampshire 84 Silk Farm Road Concord, NH 03301 (603) 224-9909 extension 328 [log in to unmask] FAX: (603) 226-0902 ----- Original Message ----- From: Jeff MacQueen To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2013 9:40 PM Subject: [UVB] Chimney Swift roost in Lebanon I started my day with my FOY Chimney Swifts at the Richmond Conservation Land in Orford with Bill Shepard and finished the day with a Chimney Swift spectacle in Lebanon. I read the post from Pam Hunt on the NH listserv about the need to locate Chimney Swift roosts in NH and Vt. I knew that swifts roost in the chimney of the old Junior High on Bank St. because I worked there for fifteen years and saw them several times entering or exiting the chimney. As I had a 6:00 meeting in Leb, I thought I would check the chimney at dusk. When I arrived at 7:30, 6 swifts were flying over the parking lot, playing fields and over the Rail Trail area. As it got closer to 8:00, it got harder to count them whirling around, but I knew there were more than 20. They were actually quite easy to count as they entered the chimney one by one to roost right before 8:00, I counted 31! I plan to try again Monday night right before 8:00. If anyone wants to join me, I could use another set of eyes. The Right-To-Know Law provides that most e-mail communications, to or from Lebanon School District employees regarding the business of the School District, are government records available to the public upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure. This e-mail is intended solely for the person or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged information. Any review, dissemination, copying, printing, or other use of this e-mail by persons or entities other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. If you receive this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the material from any computer.