Specialized toes, tail feathers, and long sharp nails allow them to cling to vertical surfaces. Unfortunately, these birds' numbers are declining significantly due to loss of nesting sites. Chimney Swifts roost and nest inside brick or masonry chimneys, or occasionally in barn silos or old city smokestacks and hollow trees.
In Virginia, Chimney Swifts typically raise nest between June and August, so even if the birds are noisy, the noise is short-lived! The swift parents build a cup of sticks, glued together with their own saliva, that attaches directly to the inside chimney wall. In a typical house chimney, there is usually only one nesting pair.
Chimney Swifts can only build nests in chimneys with inner walls made of stone, firebrick, or masonry flue tiles with mortared joints. About three to five eggs are laid in a clutch and are incubated for about a week. After eight days, the chicks start to develop pin feathers; by day 14, their eyes open. At this point, they make frequent and loud begging noises, which is what often draws the attention of the homeowner. The young birds are usually ready to fly and leave the chimney at about 30 days of age.
Noise problems: Older juveniles do make a lot of noise in the daytime as they beg their parents for food. This can be very annoying to some homeowners, but remember, it will only last about two weeks.
By allowing the birds to remain in the chimney, you are directly contributing to the conservation of a declining species — you are making a real difference! There may also be a short period in August and September where hundreds of birds roost overnight in a chimney. This occurs as they prepare for migration; Chimney Swifts congregate in large flocks before they fly to South America for the winter.
In an average year, a single swift can fly 1,, miles! If you hear birds in your chimney, close the damper to reduce noise and to prevent birds from accidentally getting into your house or fireplace. If you do not have a damper, stuff some foam rubber up in the opening not fiberglass. Delay doing any chimney cleaning until after the babies have fledged and left the chimney.
Check that your chimney sweep knows that it is illegal to remove a nest when Chimney Swift babies are still in the chimney. Fallen Nest: Chimney Swift saliva is very good at holding nests together, but sometimes becomes unglued after heavy rains or if the chimney is very dirty. There are a wide variety of chimney and fireplace structures and designs, so there is no one solution in every instance of a fallen nest. Replacing the nest may require considerable innovation, and in some cases may not actually be possible.
There are several options worth exploring, however, before you call a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Some rescuers have placed the nest in a basket and lowered it into the chimney from above. Others have had good results taping the nest to a broom and wedging the broom in a corner of the chimney above the damper.
If it is impossible to return young Chimney Swifts to their parents, they will need to be taken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In the interim, providing proper temporary housing is essential. Because of their lifestyle, Chimney Swifts need to be able to cling to a stable surface to feel secure. The babies will need to be placed in an artificial nest consisting of a small covered box that is lined with a snag-free cloth. An old cotton T-shirt works very well.
Do not attempt to feed or give water to baby Chimney Swifts. They are reasonably durable, and can fare very well if kept warm, dark and quiet until they can be taken to a qualified caregiver.
However, the sooner they receive care, the more likely they will be to survive the ordeal of being separated from their parents. Your state Parks and Wildlife Department, Game Warden or Department of Natural Resources should be able to help you find an individual or facility that can help. Chimney swifts are an amazingly complex, yet endangered species of migratory birds federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of In fact, I was stunned to learn that while they nest here eastern North America in the winter, then these tiny birds migrate all the way to Peru!
Interestingly, chimney swifts cannot perch, or even stand on their legs. What they can do, is hang. When not hanging from chimney walls, trees, or in our case, nets , they are in flight. All day long the adults fly. They even get sticks for their nests on the fly, they break the stick off as they fly by!
Formerly the American Swift, these birds were renamed as their forest habitat was cleared and they developed the habit of nesting almost exclusively in chimneys. The fledglings will hang on the inside of the chimney being fed by their parents until they are ready to fully feed on their own about a month after hatching. Somehow, 17 of these youngsters came into Wild Care at a very young age. Aside from brief glimpses, my first alert of their presence came in the sound of a breaking refrigerator.
You know it, that screeching sound a belt of some form of machinery makes in its death throes. Every single time someone walked past them, the riotous sound would shoot forth, and everyone would laugh at the ridiculousness.
But things got really absurd when they went into the shed. Both aviaries being full, they ended up hanging from a large net hung in the squirrel shed emptied of squirrels.
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