Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater New Orleans

MAXIMUM OF 2 HOUR REGARDLESS OF TIME SPENT. PROOF OF EBIRD LOG DUE WITH HOURS TO RECEIVE CREDIT.

If you haven’t yet forsaken the outdoors during these endless days of heat advisories, please consider participating in “A Swift Night Out” one (or more!) evenings this September. It is beginning [slightly] to cool off by that time of day, and very little energy expenditure is required to participate.

“A Swift Night Out” is a community led effort – occurring across the continent – to count Chimney Swifts and Vaux’s Swifts as they enter communal roosting sites just after dusk. Both Chimney and Vaux’s Swift populations have been in a long-term range-wide decline, which is why wildlife biologists and amateur birders are monitoring roost locations to better understand the rate and causes of population decline.

During the spring and summer months (i.e. breeding season), Chimney Swifts are located across the eastern United States and into Canada, while Vaux’s Swifts are located along the Pacific Coast of North America. Both species are long distance migrants, retreating to South America for the winter. (Side note: Vaux’s Swift will occasionally visit Louisiana during winter months, so do keep your eyes peeled for them as well.)

From late summer through early fall, swifts will congregate in communal roosts prior to their southward migration. Historically, swifts primarily nested and roosted in old hollowed out trees. Following European settlement, however, they soon adapted to man-made chimneys. As the eastern forests were cleared over the subsequent decades, swifts became increasingly dependent on chimneys.

In recent decades, home chimney designs have changed, often explicitly to prevent intrusion by wildlife. As a result, swift populations have sharply declined with only about half as many around today compared to 50 years ago.

Audubon Louisiana would greatly appreciate your assistance locating roost sites within the state and conducting counts through the end of the month, or until communal roosting activity draws to an end for the season.

If you are an eBird user, please submit your counts at eBird.org, noting in the comment section that you were counting swifts as they entered a roost site. If you are not an eBird user, you can submit your data at chimneyswifts.org. Although the chimneyswifts.org homepage appears out of date, the link to ‘Enter your Report’ is still active and accepting swift counts for 2019.

Count tips:

Show up at a known or suspected roost site about 30 minutes before sunset.

Listen for the high-pitched, chattering calls of Chimney Swifts as they begin to congregate in the air before entering the roost.

Find a spot with good visibility, where you can see birds entering the roost. Pay close attention! Swifts will often swoop towards the entrance but not actually enter the roost. Count birds only as they enter.

Questions?

Please feel free to email me (kpercy@audubon.org) with any questions or to report a roost location.

Thank you,

Katie

—

Katie L. Percy

Avian Biologist

225.768.0820

Audubon Louisiana

5615 Corporate Blvd., Suite 600B

Baton Rouge, LA 70808

la.audubon.org