Greetings all,
It is time once again for us to try to locate and monitor fall Chimney Swift roosts in NH! (Folks in VT are more than welcome to help as well!) The season seems to be off to a slow start, with a couple of large roosts from last August still largely quiet, but a couple of newer ones (Meriden and Contoocook) popping up with over 50 birds each. We could use birders’ help in finding new roosts and checking in on old ones, since data on roost type, size, and timing may all prove useful in helping us better understand Chimney Swift declines and perhaps how to conserve them.
Although the large funnels of dozens of swifts entering a chimney are the most impressive, roosts of ANY size are of interest, since the smaller ones (e.g., <10 birds or so) might represent breeding sites. So if you have a chance to wander around a nearby urban area over the next few weeks, keep your eyes on the swirling flocks of swifts at dusk, and see if you can find where they spend the night. If you DO find a swift roost, I’d REALLY appreciate you entering it in eBird – AS ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE – and starting the location name with “CHSW roost:…” I’m also happy to provide further guidance as needed, and/or send on a copy of the swift monitoring protocol that I developed this spring.
Thanks in advance for all the roosting swifts you’re going to find!
Pam
Pamela D. Hunt, Ph.D.
Avian Conservation Biologist
New Hampshire Audubon
84 Silk Farm Road
Concord, NH 03301
(603) 224-9909 x328
Help us celebrate NH Audubon’s Centennial! - http://www.nhaudubon.org/about/centennial
“We have a hunger of the mind. We ask for all the knowledge around us and the more we get, the more we desire.”
– Maria Mitchell, 19th Century American Astronomer