The Chimney Swift is a common summer resident in the Kingston area, it can be relatively easy for the people to observe its wonderful acrobatic loops that give swifts the reputation of a sky ace. 

On this page, you will find an interview with Dr. Ron Weir, the local Chimney Swift specialist that will provide information on the species history in Kingston. Then you will learn about the banding done in Kingston during the 20th century with great results, and eventually you will discover more about the famous Fleming Hall chimney story.

Generalities and History

Dr. Ron D. Weir, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Royal Military College of Canada (Kingston, ON), member of the KFN since 1969 and coauthor of Bird of Kingston Region (2nd Ed.) was interviewed on the Chimney Swift status in the Kingston region.

- What is your role in Chimney Swift conservation?

- What is the general trend for the Chimney Swift population in Kingston? 

There is no evidence that the nesting swift population is remarkably declining in the Kingston area. Our survey work via nesting studies in the Kingston area 1981-85 revealed that about (1,550 to 1,600) pairs nested annually. The repeat studies 2001-05 resulted in finding (1,100±200) pairs each year, which represent a modest decline in our area perhaps part of a cyclic rise and fall of breeding numbers here.  During both studies, the nesting density was greatest in settled areas where chimneys were the preferred nest sites.  However, the breeding numbers during summer 2006 within the City of Kingston were sharply reduced for reasons that are not entirely clear, but some recovery was noted by summer 2008.  Perhaps the series of hurricanes in south eastern USA during autumn 2005 exacted their toll on the migrating swifts after they left our area. 

- According to you, what are the main reasons of decline within Kingston area?

I do not know the answer to this question.  The swifts that appear in the Kingston Region consist of a migrant group that passes through here on their way north during spring, mainly May, and southwards during the autumn passage, mainly September, and a second group that nest here.  In the nesting chimneys, I have observed no more than 10 pairs nesting at one site, but the usual number is 1 to 4 pairs per site.  By contrast, the roosting birds, especially during the post breeding period, congregate in much larger numbers in a single chimney such as that at Fleming Hall, the Annandale apartments and other downtown Kingston apartments. 

- Do you have any idea of the numbers of roosting/nesting sites suitable in Kingston? or how many were used in the past?

a. I know of fewer than 10 roosting chimneys in the City of Kingston.  I do not know this number for the larger towns surrounding areas such as Napanee.

b. Nesting sites in our region include chimneys at farms in the agricultural sections, but the density of nesting chimneys is greatest in the urban areas. I have observed only two or three sites over 40 years where the swifts were nesting in hollow trees. In one case, the hollow tree did note exceed 3 m in height.  Our estimated number of nesting sites in the Kingston region (not just Kingston city) varies from 150 to 400.  At RMC for example, up to 10 sites have been used in one season, mainly small chimneys in the older buildings.         

- What was the main roosting/nesting site in Kingston?

There is no main nesting site in the Kingston region as the nest sites are distributed.  One of the main roosting sites was Fleming Hall prior to the top being sealed.

- When birding in the summer, can you really notice the absence or presence of Chimney Swifts in the sky?

 Yes to the knowledgeable and experienced observer. The time of day, the weather conditions and the wind speed all appear to influence the altitudes at which the swifts fly.  The evening seems the best time to make counts to determine overall number of swifts as they are often flying lower over buildings.  At other times of the day, the birds may appear as specks in the high sky and they are best detected by their clicking calls that sound like the clattering of knitting needles.  During early June, courting flights are easily observed as the birds make loud shrill noises as they swoop low over potential nesting sites.         

- What could we implement in order to counteract the decline in Kingston?

It is not possible for me to know whether the modest decline in the Kingston Region is part of a long term cycle of rise and fall of the population as it responds to weather conditions that influence food supply and to increased mortality on migrations.  We know of a number of chimneys that have been capped in our area in order to stop starlings from entering and unfortunately this action also closes the chimney to the nesting swift.  Opening the Fleming Hall chimney would have a positive influence on the local swift population. 

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In spite of a global decrease in numbers, concentrations of Chimney Swifts continue to be seen in Kingston. For instance, in August 1991, Ron Weir counted over a 30 min period up to 2,000 birds entering a chimney at the Annandale Apartments (Sydenham street). According to 58 years of data collection, the average spring arrival date is on the 27th of April with the earliest arrival recorded on the 16th April 2004. Repeat studies (Weir R et al., 2008) from 2001 to 2005 found evidence of 1,100 pairs (+/- 200) each year which suggests a modest decline compared to earlier studies in the Kingston area. Unsurprisingly, their preferred breeding sites are chimneys where the active breeding period stretches on average from the 17th of May to the 22nd of July (27 monitoring nests, 2001-2005 (Weir R et al., 2008)). After the breeding seasons, large flocks of juveniles can be observed. However, if you want to see a Chimney Swift you must be aware that in Kingston the average last date during autumn for 42 years is the 1st of October. One exception to this was recorded in 1972 on the 5th of November.   

Banding in Kingston

Kingston remains well known for its contribution to the banding of Chimney Swifts started by the late R.D. Merriman in 1928. The birds were ringed annually until 1954, except between 1942-1944 and in 1948 (Weir R. et al. 2008) . During this period, 21930 individuals were banded at the large chimney of Fleming Hall which is located on the Queen's University Campus. During this period the average return on Kingston-banded swifts was 9.7% and the age record for a Kingston-banded swift is approximately 12 years. Bowman also emphasizes the fact that the peak of the Chimney Swift migration in Kingston occurs in the third week of May (keep your eyes open at this time!). Bowman also established that the largest flocks of swifts trapped at one time contained almost 4000 birds and on the 14th of May in 1947 an airborne flock was estimated to be 10000 birds large!
The analysis of Kingston banded bird data suggests that swifts use the Mississippi and Piedmont flyways to about the same extent in Autumn. None of the Kingston banded-birds was recovered east of a line joining Chicago to Baton Rouge, La. (Bowman 1952).
The following map underlines the distribution recovery for Kingston banded Chimney Swifts (Bowman 1952):
 A Kingston banded bird was recovered in northern Peru. This recovery helped to solve the mystery of where Chimney Swifts spend the winter (Weir R. et al. 2008).   

Fleming Hall chimney

 In Kingston area, Fleming Hall chimney has became quite famous because it raises an issue that underlies most of the different aspects involved in Chimney Swift conservation. This chimney was considered a prime example in terms of site suitability (Bowman 1952). It is not used for smoke anymore, and it is connected to the basement of the building which supplies it with warm air. This smokeless warm air, large entrance (>30cm) and the large inner surface area make the chimney an ideal roosting site for the swifts (Weir R. et al. 2008). The chimney has the potential to host a large number of birds and has allowed for decades of banding data to be recorded! Sadly, at around 1993, swifts were excluded from Fleming using a mesh screen.  But thanks to the KFN Chimney Swift Project and Queen's University, the mesh has now been removed. The project has lead to discussions with Queen's authorities underlining the importance of this chimney to a threatened species (COSEWIC 2007) and for the contribution to the scientific community that this chimney could provide, being closely located to the Queen's University Biology Department. A camera has been set up inside the Fleming Hall chimney, 2 nest boxes have been erected on the same roof and 2 in close proximity. The webcam data can be used to infer information on Chimney Swift behaviour inside chimneys. During the restoration efforts and the nest box installation, the KFN discovered a large guano accumulation in the bottom or the Fleming chimney. It was soon realized that there is a great potential to use the guano that has built up over 60 years as an archive of environmental change. the insect remains in the guano may serve as a record of changes in insect abundance and shifts in taxa available to swifts' diet. Contaminants like DDT may also be recorder. these ideas were brought to the PEARL lab at Queen's University and PEARL is now working with collaborators to investigate these ideas.

To conclude on the species history and trends in Kingston, we have seen that the population suffers from a lower decline than the overall trends in North America. However, one important consideration must be brought into light: The nesting population in Kingston should be treated separately from the migrant population. The decline of the swift as a nester in Kingston is very modest during the period 1980-85 to 2000-05 (Ron Weir, personal communication). This consideration should be kept in mind for designing conservation plans and interpreting results from monitoring. Here, focusing on the availability of roosting site may have a great impact on migrants, providing them place to rest.