On Thu, Oct 1, 2026 at 8:59 AM Rick Wright <birdaz...> wrote:
> The Crane Trust has one out their back door.
> Best wishes from Brittany,
>
> *Rick Wright, Birds and Art <https://ventbird.com/rick-wright> *tours
> with Victor Emanuel Nature Tours <https://ventbird.com/> >
> Books and book chapters
> <https://smile.amazon.com/Rick-Wright/e/B00HDUI4H6?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1637440375&sr=8-1> >
>
> HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
> SHAME: Superior, Huron, America, Michigan, Erie
>
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 30, 2026 at 10:23 PM Bill Kaempfer via groups.io
> <William.Kaempfer...> wrote:
>
>> It seems to me that I did see an artificial swift roost somewhere. It
>> was a hollow concrete tree stump with the outside painted to look like bark
>> and stood about 12-15 feet tall. Wisconsin maybe?
>>
>> Bill Kaempfer
>> Safety Harbor, FL
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Don and
>> Shirley Maas via groups.io <snowbirds2012...>
>> *Sent:* Wednesday, September 30, 2026 2:52 PM
>> *To:* Nebirds <NEBirds...>
>> *Subject:* Re: [NEBirds] Chimney Swift roost in Kearney
>>
>> [External email - use caution]
>>
>> Maybe it’s time to preserve or build chimneys for Swifts much like we do
>> for
>> Bluebirds and Wooid Ducks.
>>
>> Don Maas
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sep 30, 2026 at 6:02 AM, <Jerry Toll via groups.io
>> <carolnhattie...>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks for the reminder! We see lots of Chimney Swifts migrating at the
>> Hitchcock Hawkwatch. Also the Florence area business district hosts roost
>> for them.
>>
>> Jerry Toll
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 30, 2026 at 6:04 AM flyingcarlini via groups.io
>> <flyingcarlini...> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks William, Diane, and Robin for the reminder that September and
>> early October is the time to view impressive numbers of Chimney Swifts
>> streaming into our local chimneys to roost at night. The big old brick
>> chimneys that shelter anywhere from dozens to hundreds of CHSWs moving
>> through this time of year won't be around forever and unfortunately the new
>> chimneys exclude entry, so It's great to document these crucial chimney
>> roost sites on eBird and bring to light a largely out of sight/out of mind
>> phenomenon featuring a vulnerable species that's in decline.
>>
>> Interesting to think of them entering in groups of 4-6, maybe family
>> groups? Some of our photos have shown rows in flight of similarly sized
>> groups during pre-entry chimney flyovers.
>>
>> Regarding their hesitation to enter a chimney, in addition to entry
>> likely being slowed as other arrivals clear out of the way, wind seems to
>> be a factor that can result in birds aborting entry attempts before finally
>> dropping in. Sometimes it diminishes at nightfall, so maybe some delay
>> their entry? Last year during a large flock entry one particular evening,
>> several birds actually whacked HARD against the lip of the chimney while
>> trying to enter (presumably inexperienced juvs) apparently due to wind and
>> possibly a subpar approach direction of the circling flock. It looked
>> brutal but they all appeared to ricochet off and stay airborne somehow. 2
>> nights ago, we tallied 285 entering the spacious chimney at Westminster
>> church on South St. & Sheridan Blvd. during calm conditions which allowed
>> them to more easily hit the bullseye and drop straight down in an orderly
>> controlled flow.
>>
>> -Shari Schwartz & John Carlini, Lincoln
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 09:58:32 PM CDT, Robin Harding via
>> groups.io <pine2siskin4...> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> Nebraska birders,
>>
>> I had never watched Chimney Swifts go to their night roost. It was very
>> cool to experience part of it with Bill Flack on September 24. It's too
>> bad that we couldn't stay until the last swift descended into the chimney.
>> I was unable to go back the next evening but I did this evening, September
>> 26, arriving at about 7:10, when there were only five swifts circling the
>> chimney. For a while, I thought that the swifts were using a different
>> chimney this evening or that they had migrated south.
>>
>> The number of swifts slowly grew and they continued to circle the
>> church's chimney. I thought that I saw a few swifts drop down into the
>> chimney but as Bill wrote, it was difficult to determine if the swifts were
>> going into the chimney or dropping down behind it. It was hard to estimate
>> the total number of swifts since I couldn't see the whole flock but I
>> estimated 60 swifts. The swirling mass of swifts continued. When it was
>> almost too dark for me to see the birds, it looked like many swifts were
>> dropping into the chimney but many were still circling. When I stopped
>> hearing them twitter, I assumed that they were all in the chimney. It was
>> about 8:00.
>>
>> My experience was very similar to Bill's and Diane's.
>>
>> Robin Harding
>> Shelton, Nebr.
>>
>> On Sat, Sep 26, 2026 at 9:11 PM dt via groups.io <dtandelsie=
>> <yahoo.com...> wrote:
>>
>> William, this actually sounds similar to what I saw in Gothenburg on
>> August 29th. The darker it got, the more rapidly they disappeared down the
>> chimney, but as some descended, others flew by and circled around,
>> eventually also descending. I watched approx. 200 enter the single chimney
>> in approximately 17 minutes. https://ebird.org/checkli.st/S388114605 >> Quite a sight ! It would be great if birders who live near these chimneys
>> used as migration roosts monitored them in late summer early fall!
>> Diane Thomas in Laramie, WY
>>
>> Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer
>> <https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&c=US_Acquisition_YMktg_315_SearchOrgConquer_EmailSignature&af_sub1=Acquisition&af_sub2=US_YMktg&af_sub3=&af_sub4=100002039&af_sub5=C01_Email_Static_&af_ios_store_cpp=0c38e4b0-a27e-40f9-a211-f4e2de32ab91&af_android_url=https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?<id...>&listing=search_organize_conquer> >>
>> On Sat, Sep 26, 2026 at 9:36 PM, William Flack via groups.io
>> <sparvophile...> wrote:
>>
>> On Thursday evening, Sept. 24, Robin Harding and I watched *Chimney
>> Swifts* circling over the block with St. Luke's and Central Elementary.
>> I estimated the size of the flock as c. 200 birds. The orbit sometimes
>> moved away, but generally included the St. Luke's chimney; and often, as
>> swifts flew over the chimney, they fluttered a bit or dropped as though
>> checking it out. However, it didn't appear that they were going down the
>> chimney in any numbers. (It was hard to tell whether birds went down the
>> chimney or behind the church, but it appeared that most were doing the
>> latter.) Unfortunately, we had to get to a movie at the World at 7:30, so
>> left the swifts at 7:23, before we could see if they'd actually go down the
>> chimney in numbers.
>>
>>
>>
>> The following evening (Sept. 25), I returned to the site, arriving at
>> about 7:30. The swifts were again circling, but there numbers appeared to
>> be about half of what they were the previous night—perhaps a different
>> flock, or perhaps many had already gone to roost. This time, the loop in
>> which they were flying always seemed to include the space right above the
>> church. Again, birds passing over the chimney would drop down and flutter a
>> bit, as though checking it out, but would usually resume circling. After a
>> while, though, it appeared that they were starting to go down. It looked
>> like 4–6 birds would drop down into the chimney; and, after that, birds
>> would dip down to check, but no one else would descend for a little while,
>> until another handful went down. My conjecture is that birds that flew down
>> the chimney took some time to find footholds, and until they did, were
>> beating their wings; if additional birds had flown down during this time,
>> they would've interfered with one another, and possibly the whole bunch
>> would've fallen to the bottom. Once this started, the number of circling
>> birds seemed to decline surprisingly quickly, and the last of them were
>> gone by 8 p.m.; presumably, down the chimney, though it didn't seem as
>> though I'd seen that many going into it.
>>
>>
>>
>> Other accounts make it sound as though large numbers of swifts pour down
>> a chimney, unlike my birds, which seemed to go down a handful at a time.
>> Maybe the St. Luke's flue is narrower than the brick chimney would suggest,
>> and there's not room for all that many birds to go down at once?
>>
>>
>>
>> William Flack
>>
>> Kearney
>>
>>
>>
>>
