Conservation

Conservation management

chimney Will you be able to hear the high-pitched songs of a Chimney Swift ever again? Will you be able to see the wonderful spectacle the colony offers during dawn and dusk? It is true that the numbers from the population trends page are alarming but do not believe that nothing can be done. There are actually several efforts under way in North America, in Ontario and even here in Kingston to counteract this drastic decline. On this page, you will discover some examples of management plans and you will learn more about the Chimney Swift Project in Kingston and how you can contribute to it!

Global aim

The conservation management plan for the species can take several forms. There are a few basic steps to consider:
- Knowledge about the biology, ecology, and life history of the species
- Knowledge about the main reasons for its decline
- Knowledge about the species in your area and how to identify the main factors of decline within this area
- Public awareness
- Monitoring and surveys (population numbers, roosting and nesting sites)
- Reducing the impact of the negative factors of the decline
Of course, it makes sense that the first step is knowing the species and the reasons that have lead to the observed population trends during the previous century and the early 21th century. It is also obvious that in order to implement monitoring plans and surveys, a common will of the public and the associations is needed to enhance recovery. Monitoring and surveys typically require help from volunteers, and eventually these 2 last actions can help to identify where and how to act.

Actions:

Observers network	The observers network is a powerful means to quickly collect a large amount of information on the species within the area. The network is usually composed of volunteers and may require a person in charge for managing the data and organizing the survey. There are different types of information collected by this kind of network: - sightings of first arrivals - nesting or roosting sites - numbers - problematic sites - etc.
Monitoring and survey	Launching a monitoring plan assisted by an observers network from May to September helps to identify roosting and nesting sites and their relative importance (number of individuals using them). Repeated monitoring over the years can provide powerful information on the local population trends. Then, this information can be used by wide scale surveys like the Ontario Breeding Birds Atlas. This action is an essential step for local conservation management plans. It includes locating of suitable sites: For nesting and roosting. These sites should be monitored between 30 min before and after the sunset. Counting of individuals within a site is also important.
Nesting sites restoration and artificial nest	- Nesting site restoration can be done after identifying potential nesting/roosting sites. Many suitable chimneys have been capped over the last decades banning the swifts from these sites. Several successful examples show that discussions with owners can lead to the restoration of these chimneys making the access free again. - Over the past few years, the number of artificial nesting towers erected on the roofs of buildings has increased. This action is present in nearly every swift recovery project. The Driftwood Wildlife Association (DWA) provides a pilot document on their website (see contacts page) that explains, step by step, how to successfully design an artificial tower considering the thermal demands of the species.
Public awareness	Creating public awareness is one of the most important actions in a conservation plan. Public involvement puts pressure on local authorities and contributes to the achievement of the different conservation plan components. The aim is to increase local awareness of the Chimney Swifts and their habitats. This can be done using local media or by providing available information on websites. There are several ways to communicate information and this can be done in original ways. For instance, the Orillia Naturalists Club erected an artificial tower on the roof of a bakery shop which ended up producing placemats providing information about swifts and the tower! Educational activities with young people can also Help. The Chimney Swift is a notable example for how humans can coexist with birds. In addition, city staff and contractors must be informed about potential sites to prevent damage due to site modifications.
Contribution to the scientific knowledge	Monitoring, surveys, or casual observations offer great opportunities to increase the scientific knowledge by adding new data and information on population trends. Moreover, through these efforts, species' behaviour can recorded. For instance, assessing temperature variations in chimneys has contributed to the knowledge of their thermal requirements. Until recently, there was only little information on the species behaviour inside a chimney or a hollow tree due to difficult access to breeding sites. Nowadays we could, without insurmountable difficulties, collect useful information by setting up a webcam and recording the behaviour of swifts inside a chimney! This has been done by the DWA. Some of their video links are provided on the contact page. These videos can contribute to public awareness helping people to be more familiar with the species.
Thinking globally, Acting locally	All previous actions to help swifts occurred on a local scale. It is necessary to target the conservation actions on a local scale in order to increase their probability of success using more precise, local knowledge. However, these local actions may have important impacts if they are coordinated at a larger scale. A regional Chimney Swift recovery project could coordinate a network targets species level recovery.

KFN Chimney Swift Project Outline:

The actions presented above are all included in the KFN Chimney Swift Project. You will discover more details about them below:

- Observers network: A call directed to all potential volunteers was done via KFN members, this website, Queen's University, and the different articles presented in the local news.

- Monitoring and surveys begin in spring in Kingston, Napanee and Newburgh and continue until the autumn migration. The aim is to identify the different roosting/nesting sites and do bird counts in order to infer population trends by repeating the procedure.

- Nesting restoration and artificial nests: The old roosting site in the Fleming Hall chimney (pics below) was restored on the 20th of March 2009 by removing the mesh. Swift song was broadcast to attract swifts back during spring migration. By the end of April as many as 150 swifts were using the chimney again, for the first time since 1993. A nest was also discovered in the chimney at the end of the summer.
Four artificial towers were also put up on Queen's Campus in March-April 2009 (pic below).
fleming hall roof fleming hall chimney zoom box2

Pictures: Gaye Beckwith

- Public awareness: The project has been briefly mentioned during the presentation of the KFN book "Birds of the Kingston Region" on CKWS TV. Articles in local newspapers were in print during the beginning of April 2009 and eventually, we hope that this website will help raise awareness.

- Contribution to the scientific knowledge: Webcams are setup inside Fleming Hall chimney and the artificial boxes (see picture below), they are used to study swift behaviour inside the boxes and chimneys.

Picture: Gaye Beckwith

- Thinking globally, acting locally: The KFN is participating in SwiftWatch, a Project run by Bird Studies Canada.
The data obtained from the monitoring and tower efforts will be used to help improve our understanding of the plight of the Chimney Swift.

Getting involve in your region:

If you are interested in contributing to the recovery of the Chimney Swift, contact Bird Studies Canada to see if there is an an existing project you can join in your area. if not, consider starting one yourself. For more information see our contact pages.

If you live in the Kingston area and want to help, contact the KFN at info@kingstonfieldnaturalists.org.