'Like tiny flying cigars': Chimney Swift birds that nest in chimneys threatened
Old chimneys collect dust and soot, but they’ve also become home for some of our feathered friends and sadly, the species is declining rapidly.
Birds called Chimney Swifts often choose chimneys on the top of old buildings as their nesting grounds.
A popular spot for the Chimney Swifts is at the First-St. Andrew’s Church in London, Ont.
The church has five chimneys, each currently occupied by a nesting pair of Chimney Swifts, one of the fastest flying birds in the world.
Wife and husband nature lovers, Winifred and Dave Wake, have been following these tiny but fast birds, often setting up camp at the church to watch them from a distance.
"Look up, way up, they’re like tiny flying cigars with rapidly beating pointed wings that are constantly changing directions," says Winifred, who is also the Chimney Swift liaison for the Nature of London organization.
Winifred says she took a liking to them after discovery some of their unique quirks.
"They fly high overhead and they only eat insects they capture on their wings, and they nest inside chimneys because they’re not able to land or perch on the ground of rooftops. They perch inside the chimneys like a woodpecker would, and they make a nest inside the chimney with twigs they glue with their own saliva."
The Chimney Swifts haven't always called chimneys home. Before big buildings took over, they would make their nests in native hollow trees.
The sad news is, the Chimney Swift is declining in numbers.
In 2009, the species was considered threatened and at risk for extinction.
“In the last 70 years or so, their numbers have declined by 90 per cent in Canada and Ontario.”
Swifts migrate each spring and fall, with their wintering grounds in South America.
“An examination of historic and current records provides hints as to the pattern of swift decline in southwestern Ontario over the years,” the Nature London website explains.
Winifred says theres two main reasons for their decline -- one is lack of food.
Insects may be a pest to us but they are a lifeline for Chimney Swifts. They can eat a thousand bugs a day per bird.
Insects are on the decline due to woodlands being turned into building complexes. Drivers are also a big contributor to the decline of insects -- with bugs hitting windshields on highways.
And places to nest are becoming few and far between, as hollow trees are already limited and old chimneys on old buildings are being demolished.
Winifred says if you want to help this threatened species, you can start by planting some native plants and trees in your backyard to grow the insect population.
She also encourages people to support organizations that preserve wetlands and conservation areas.
If you want to learn more about the Chimney Swift, click here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'