Martinets ramoneurs Farrelton, Qc – 22 juillet 2021
At sunset on July 21, 2021, more than 180 legendary chimney swifts entered the chimney of St-Camillus Church in Farrelton, Outaouais, to spend the night. Swifts use large chimneys as dormitories towards the end of July, before heading south to their wintering grounds.
Every spring, they make the reverse journey: arriving from the south, they spend several days in a group in their dormitory, break up into pairs and find a nesting site; they normally nest in the masonry chimneys that remain in our towns and villages (min. 2.5 bricks wide), and always in the same chimney.
Loss of habitat due to technological change
For many years now, we’ve been switching from oil heating to electric heating, and as a result, we’ve been eliminating our masonry chimneys (or inserting a metal lining or cap, making them either fatal for the bird or unusable). In 40 years, the chimney swift population has fallen by almost 95%.
There are many ways to save these fabulous birds:
by preserving our old masonry chimneys
avoiding metal caps (or removing them every spring before they arrive)
by carrying out chimney repairs between September 1 and May 1
participating in a chimney swift stewardship program (with RQO or SCF)
building a nesting box on a suitable site (precise plans are available)
talking to friends and family about this fabulous species
etc.
Watch the video of the swifts entering their dormitory in spring and autumn each year.
Thanks to Richard Lebel and Ghislaine Grenier for this superb video (21/07/21) and thanks to Mélanie Desaulniers for spotting the site!
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
