Chimney Swifts are the only swift species that regularly occur in Massachusetts. Their chattering calls and cigar shaped silhouettes are a sure sign that spring has arrived. Unfortunately these enigmatic little birds are experiencing steep population declines. Chimney Swift numbers have dropped dramatically over the last 30 years and research has shown that declines are more prevalent towards the northeast of North America.

Declines are exacerbated by a loss of nesting and roosting sites. The traditional brick chimneys that swifts nest or roost in are deteriorating or being capped by homeowners. Furthermore, the logging of old growth forests reduces natural nest and roost site availability. Protecting these sites may be key to slowing population declines.

To take action, we launched the Chimney Swift Project which aims to map spring and fall roosting sites, as well as summer nests across the northeast. The project is a partnership with the University of Connecticut and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.

Chimney Swift sightings reported by citizen scientists in 2015.

Since it’s initiation in the summer of 2014, more than 100 people have participated in the project. Our citizen scientists have made tremendous efforts reporting 5500 Chimney Swifts at over 150 sites. This year, the maximum number of birds reported at a single chimney was estimated at 300! Breeding takes place from late May through early August and this year participants estimated that 64% of observed swifts were breeding.

Very little is known about the winter roost locations of Chimney Swifts so if you are lucky enough to be heading to South America on a birding trip this winter, any observations you make will have huge conservation value. Keep the sightings coming and expect to see us expand this work next year!

Additional Resources

Learn more about chimney swifts and what do if you’re concerned about a nest in a chimney.

Over the past three summers, Bird Conservation staff have been participating in seabird surveys within the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. This 842-square mile ocean sanctuary is a protected area lying approximately twenty miles off the coast of Massachusetts between Cape Ann and Cape Cod. This incredibly rich region hosts over 575 species of fish, sea turtles, marine mammals, and birds.

Humpback Whale, Stellwagen Sanctuary by Shannon Currie.

The sanctuary is an important feeding ground for no fewer than 53 species of summering, wintering, and migratory seabirds and has been designated by Mass Audubon as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

In order to better understand the role and importance of seabirds in the Stellwagen ecosystem, Mass Audubon is partnering with the sanctuary’s S4 Program (Stellwagen Sanctuary Seabird Stewards) to systematically collect seasonal, temporal, and distributional seabird data.

The S4 program engages citizen scientists to collect baseline seabird data that will be used to compare the status and relative abundance of seabirds in the region over time. These data will help better understand any population changes that may occur within the sanctuary and the possible significance of such changes to the marine ecosystem as a whole.

This summer has proven to be an exceptional season for seabirds within the Stellwagen Sanctuary. Most notably Cory’s, Great, and Manx shearwaters have been present in increased numbers, along with lesser numbers of Sooty Shearwaters and Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. Fin and Humback whales were also more numerous than in recent years were. All of these species have been responding to a huge spike in the population of a little pencil-sized baitfish called sand lance. Both seabirds and whales feed very heavily on these fish while they are in Stellwagen waters, so when there is a population explosion in the sand lance population like this summer, the numbers of seabirds and whales increase substantially. Many of the seabirds will start their seasonal migration soon so be sure to try and get out to see them over the next several weeks.

Great Shearwaters, Stellwagen Sanctuary.

Humpback Whale, Stellwagen  Sanctuary by Rosemary Mosco.