Surveys to Again Study Congregations of Bugeaters in North America

Chimney Swift. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

By James Ed. Ducey

An annual survey to evaluate numbers of congregating swifts is once again slated for mid-August and mid-September in North America.

The project is called “A Swift Night Out” and is sponsored by the Driftwood Wildllife Association of Austin Texas.

Both the Chimney Swift of central and eastern portions of the continent and the Vaux Swift of the western coast should be observed and counted as they enter the communal roosts used as the bird congregate prior to the autumn migration southward.

Count dates are August 10-12, and/or September 7-9.

A survey involves watching swift activity in a certain area, then as dusk approaches, finding their roost site, typically a tall chimney. The number of the birds at the roost is then counted, or estimated if there is a large swarm – perhaps more than 1,000 - of the bugeaters. Observation of the roost site should begin about 30 minutes before dusk, and continue until it appears that no more birds are entering the structure.

Results should then be submitted to count central, the swift web-site sponsored by the Driftwood Wildlife Association. Specific counts are then tabulated and noted on a map of North America that shows occurrence records for the species during the count period.

The Swift Night Out was originally part of the North American Chimney Swift Nest Site Research Project that began in 1996 as a project of the Driftwood Wildlife Association,” according to Paul Kyle and Georgean Kyle, Project Directors and DWA board members. “The survey gets others involved with an interesting and beneficial species.”

“The survey and the reports not only raise public awareness about the plight of Chimney Swifts, but they also provide useful data for researchers, conservation organizations and wildlife biologists who can have an effect on the laws that protect swifts and other migratory birds.”

Results from previous years are also available at the website. "The participants and reports have increased every year. Numbers of swifts reported range from zero to several thousands. Zero counts can be important, especially at sites that previously hosted large numbers of swifts."

The Kyles have been involved with swifts for 25 years, commenting that “there is nothing about Chimney Swifts that we do not enjoy. When we began our work with Chimney Swifts in 1982, the most common interest in swifts was how to get them out of a chimney. Today people all over North America are asking how best to protect them, with many actually building Chimney Swift towers to provide additional new habitat for this declining species.”

Swifts are suffering a decline in numbers due to a decreased availability of habitat as chimneys disappear when older buildings are razed. New construction typically does not include a chimney useful to these two species, which consume a huge amount of pesky bugs.

“For our part, we cannot begin to thank the participants enough,” the Kyles said. “However, they receive much more than our thanks in the pleasure they derive from watching the amazing aerial antics of the swifts.”

Chimney Swifts.org