Friday Feathered Feature

Chimney Swifts

Chimney Swifts

What draws most people’s attention to Chimney Swifts in the fall is their incredible roosting behavior. Chimney Swifts spend 90% of their lives flying—only pausing their lives on-the-wing to roost and to nest. They eat, sleep, and mate while flying. In migration, flocks of Chimney Swifts roost in—you guessed it—chimneys, clinging with their feet to the walls while they sleep.

Photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren FCC

The Breeding Birds of Hillside Prairie Sanctuary

The Breeding Birds of Hillside Prairie Sanctuary

For three days during my internship this summer, I had the opportunity to conduct bird point counts at Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance's newly acquired property: Hillside Prairie Sanctuary.

Photo by Mike Budd/USFWS

Competition for nesting cavities

At Fair Meadows Sanctuary, one fact has been made abundantly clear: there is keen competition for nesting sites, both in artificial structures and in tree cavities.

Photo by Gary Shackelford