A group of people gather in a church parking lot at sunset to spot chimney swifts returning to their nightly roosting location.
A group of people gather in a church parking lot at sunset to spot chimney swifts returning to their nightly roosting location.

A group of people gather in a church parking lot at sunset to spot Chimney Swifts returning to their nightly roosting location. Photo: Gwendolyn Causer/Audubon Vermont
A group of people gather in a church parking lot at sunset to spot Chimney Swifts returning to their nightly roosting location. Photo: Gwendolyn Causer/Audubon Vermont

News

Chimney Swift Alert and Making the Mosquito Connection

Help us find late-summer roosting locations.

This is the third year of our Chimney Swift Recovery Project and we need your help to locate their late-summer roosts and determine the timing of their migration.

Swifts will be heading south in the next couple of weeks so NOW is the time to get out and figure out where they’re gathering. Just before sunset is the perfect time to see them returning to their roosts. Looking for a birding buddy? We’ve got you covered! (More info: click here)

If you’re lucky enough to spot them, let us know! Comment here or submit your sighting on eBird.

More info on how to identify swifts and submit via eBird: https://vt.audubon.org/swift 

Making the Mosquito-Swift Connection

Did you know that Chimney Swifts need to eat 1/3 of their own body weight every day to survive!?! That’s a whole lotta mosquitoes.

Thanks @bfp_news for helping folks make the mosquito connection and highlighting what you can do to help protect swifts. Read the full story: click here

Right now we need your help finding Swift roosting sites before the birds migrate south. They’ll be gone any day now!

What Else Can I Do to Help Chimney Swifts?
* Keep masonry or clay flue-tile chimney tops open and dampers closed from March through October to provide the opportunity for Chimney Swifts to nest.
* Have your chimney cleaned in early March before the Chimney Swifts return from their winter home in South America.
* Metal chimneys should be permanently capped to prevent birds and other wildlife from becoming trapped.
* Email us at mfowle@audubon.org if you are interested in working with local conservation groups to construct Chimney Swift Towers in your area.
* Educate your friends and neighbors about Chimney Swifts.

Rae Bronenkant, an educator with Audubon Vermont stands in front of the Oakledge Park Chimney Swift tower to explain how it functions in the wetland.
Rae Bronenkant, an educator with Audubon Vermont stands in front of the Oakledge Park Chimney Swift tower to explain how it functions in the wetland. Photo: Gwendolyn Causer/Audubon Vermont

How you can help, right now