Audubon gave a very interesting account of crawling inside an enormous
sycamore tree full of chimney swifts. But I have often wondered if anyone
knows of any specific modern accounts or documentation of chimney swifts
using natural cavities. It seems like they would not abandon the ancestral
practice altogether, no matter how convenient they find our human
structures.

Anyone with such specific info or accounts?

Bob Evans
Geologist, etc.
Hopewell Township, Muskingum County



On Wed, Jul 12, 2017 at 1:00 PM, Alex Eberts <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Historically, Chimney Swifts nested in large hollowed out trees that were
> killed by fires as well as tree cavities and caves/cliffs. In some areas,
> they still do use these natural sources. They're unable to perch like a
> normal bird due to their toe morphology, so they need a vertical surface.
>
> > On Jul 12, 2017, at 3:17 PM, KimbaJ <00000171c61977de-dmarc-
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > I just had an interesting thought...where did chimney swifts live before
> we had chimneys?  Now I have to look into the etiology/ecology of this
> species.  We had to make caps for our chimney this year because they were
> coming into the house.-K Justice
> >
> >      From: Darlene Sillick <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Sent: Monday, July 10, 2017 10:57 PM
> > Subject: [Ohio-birds] The swifts are staging!
> >
> > Tonight my bluebird friends Paula Ziebarth and Sue Guarasci and I had
> just
> > finished dinner in downtown Dublin and I said, look there are swifts
> above,
> > let's see what is happening at Sells Middle School. Sells is on 161 and
> east
> > of Frantz Rd and west of Dublin Rd and on the north side of 161.  We
> watched
> > the swifts from the back of the 1919 building and parked in between the
> > tennis courts and the back of the building.  We arrived about 9:00pmET
> and
> > about 8 or so swifts were flying over the building.  This location is a
> > favorite place for staging Chimney Swifts in late July, August and
> September
> > and into early October.
> >
> >
> >
> > I discovered the staging site about 15 plus years ago and I have enjoyed
> > making others aware of these amazing creatures and their important use of
> > tall chimney stacks close to dusk.  The birds gather from all different
> > directions and fly in a clockwise flight getting tighter and tighter in
> > their circle then start to enter the chimney for the night.  We say it
> looks
> > like they are being sucked into the chimney or it looks like reverse
> chimney
> > smoke. We were not disappointed tonight and we were quite surprised while
> > counting the birds as they were entering the chimney.  They kept coming
> in
> > and by 9:45-9:50pm we had counted over 675 birds entering the chimney for
> > their evening roost.  And this is only July 10!
> >
> >
> >
> > As an avid conservation person working with Eastern Bluebirds, Tree
> > Swallows, Purple Martins and American Kestrels and putting up state of
> the
> > art housing, many of us monitors have noticed we are having an amazing
> > season with nesting and fledging many birds.  Bluebirds have started
> their
> > 3rd nesting in central Ohio. Some areas might say the cicadas have helped
> > but that is only for a few weeks and not all of Ohio.  I can now add
> Chimney
> > Swifts to the list of insect eating birds doing very well so far this
> > season.  Of course, they are going to eat smaller insects.  I have never
> > seen this many birds staging this early in the 15 years I have been
> watching
> > them.
> >
> >
> >
> > I count and enter data in www.chimneyswift.org and over the weekend of
> Aug
> > 11, 12, 13 is Swift Night Out.  They want you to watch near dusk for the
> > sound of the swifts twittering and chittering and flying around a chimney
> > before they begin to enter when the light is low enough.  Then, as best
> as
> > you can, count them as they enter the chimney and note the start and end
> > time.
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sept 8, 9, 10 they have a second Swift Night Out.  For both monthly
> > counts, I will visit Sells Middle School.  I check the sunrise sunset
> > website and I try to go at least 30 minutes or more before sunset and
> watch
> > the birds come in from all directions. If it is a cloudy and overcast
> night,
> > the birds will start entering sooner.
> >
> >
> >
> > About 12 years ago, the peek counts at Sells Middle School were over 5000
> > birds entering the chimney.  Visit www.ColumbusAudubon.org  under the
> > conservation tab and click on Chimney Swifts to read up on the swifts
> > history and behavior in our area.  This YouTube Video
> > www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RNN-UvvLyQ  will give you a sense of the show
> you
> > will see.  Take some time and look for sites in your neighborhood in old
> > school or business chimneys'.  Take time to report your findings and get
> > others excited to watch the swifts.  Take it a step further and get
> involved
> > in a swift tower conservation project.  Several are going up in the
> central
> > Ohio area later this year.  Check Columbus Audubon's calendar of events
> for
> > several public programs about the swifts during Swift Night out. Bring
> your
> > lawn chair and you and the mosquitos will enjoy the free show.
> >
> >
> >
> > Darlene Sillick
> >
> > Powell, Ohio
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________________
> >
> > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> > Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/
> membership.php.
> > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
> >
> >
> > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> > listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > |  | Virus-free. www.avast.com  |
> >
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________________
> >
> > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> > Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/
> membership.php.
> > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
> >
> >
> > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> > listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/
> membership.php.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
>
>
> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
>

______________________________________________________________________

Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.


You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]