Hi all, In cooperation with the New York City Audubon Society, Adrian Burke, Roger Pasquier, Richard Veit, and Ryan Zucker are organizing a city-wide survey of Chimney Swift nesting colonies and roost sites. The Chimney Swift, widespread in the city, is a globally declining species listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Availability of nesting and roosting sites may be critical to its survival. In the city, sites may be diminishing as buildings of all types seal their chimneys. This year, the project seeks to locate and census these sites, which are active from May to at least June for nesting and then into mid-October as roosts for both local birds and migrants. We are looking for volunteers to make regular visits to nest and roost sites, but we also encourage birders to submit any and all observations of nesting or roosting birds. If you have information about nest/roost site locations or would like to participate in the survey, please contact nycswiftsur...@gmail.com.
Below we have copied an outline of survey and data submission protocols for those interested. Thanks, Adrian Burke, Roger Pasquier, Richard Veit, and Ryan Zucker NYC NYC Chimney Swift Survey Protocols *Nesting Season Protocol:* - Visit potential nesting sites from mid-May through the third week of June. - Ideally, visit sites in afternoon and early evening when nest building activities are most frequent, and spend an hour at the site if possible. - Twice weekly visits to each site would be ideal until nesting is confirmed, but any observations are greatly appreciated. If twice weekly visits to a site are not possible, occasional visits throughout the duration of the nesting season (mid-May through June) are preferred. - Look for swifts carrying nesting materials (sticks) to confirm nesting. - Later in the season, if very close views or excellent photographs are possible, look for enlarged throat to indicate carrying of food to nestlings by adults. - Note date, address of potential nest site, number of swifts observed, and any behavior indicative of breeding at each visit. - Email information on our spreadsheet (available by email) to nycswiftsur...@gmail.com, or share an eBird checklist with appropriate breeding codes for Chimney Swifts observed with nycswiftsur...@gmail.com. Use of the New York Breeding Bird Atlas portal* on eBird is ideal but not required. * For more information about the New York Breeding Bird Atlas, please see here: https://ebird.org/atlasny/about * For more information about breeding codes, please see here: https://ebird.org/atlasny/about/breeding-codes *Fall Season Roost Colony Protocol:* - Visit roost colony sites from late August until the last swifts have departed, usually in mid-October. - Visit roosts at dusk. - Ideally visit each roost site twice per week, but any observations are greatly appreciated. - Carefully count or estimate the number of Chimney Swifts descending into roost sites. - Note date of observations and address of roost site. - Email date, site info, and number of swifts on our spreadsheet (available via email) to nycswiftsur...@gmail.com or share eBird checklists with nycswiftsur...@gmail.com. No contribution is too small, and any data are appreciated! *If you know of any sites in NYC used by Chimney Swifts for nesting and/or roosting but are not able to survey these sites for this project, please reach out to us so we can map these locations and ensure that each gets some coverage.* To get involved or for questions or comments, email us at nycswiftsur...@gmail.com. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
