An online, Wisconsin-wide citizen science event through September. Join in!
Chimney swifts are on the move! Madison Audubon and the Wisconsin Chimney Swift Working Group are partnering up with Wisconsinites for the entire month of September for a statewide, online citizen science event that you can get involved with. "A Swift Night Out Wisconsin" asks community members all over the state to report, track, and observe these native birds descending into their roosting sites each evening this September. No experience is necessary!
If you have noticed a cloud of acrobatic birds funneling into a chimney at night, you are watching chimney swifts! These birds are using chimneys as a resting roost during fall migration. They cause no structural damage to the chimney, and are skilled predators of insects like mosquitoes. These swifts are also in decline.
Check out this Facebook Live presentation by Sandy Schwab with more information about chimney swifts, views of swifts actively roosting, and an overview of A Swift Night Out Wisconsin.
Join in the effort!
To participate in A Swift Night Out Wisconsin this fall, all you have to do is report sightings of chimney swifts using a chimney for a roost. To do so:
Either submit the observation to eBird as a checklist (preferred method!). To get started with eBird: ebird-quick-start-guide. In the comments section, please use — with a semi-colon ( ; ) in between each:
#swiftwi
type of building (residence, school, church, business, hospital, apartment, swift tower/structure, etc.)
condition of chimney (good shape, need of repair)
any other notes
Add observations of common nighthawks if you’d like!
Or download and print this tracking form, and include the same information as above plus the date of observation, exact start time, length of observation at the roost site, and your name, address, email address.
Mail the form to Fred Dike at 2613 Waltham Rd., Madison, WI 53711 or email to freddmadison@aol.com.
Remember, you can submit these observations for any date this September 2020! Thank you for your help in protecting and conserving Wisconsin’s native birds.
Cover photo by Steve Benoit
