Workshop: Swifts in the City!

Please join us for Michigan Audubon’s August Workshop: Swifts in the City! Have you heard chipping and chattering above your head when you’re in an urban downtown area or neighborhood? Have you seen small “bats” flying during the daytime? Chimney Swifts are unique, “cigar-shaped” birds that live alongside people in many cities and neighborhoods and are easily confused with bats. They play an important role as natural pest control by consuming thousands of flying insects per day. Sadly, these birds are declining across the country, but you can help! Join us to learn about these charming city-loving birds and find out how to help through monitoring and creating habitat. The workshop will include an indoor talk followed by a short carpool to a Chimney Swift roost location to witness the amazing spectacle of roosting behavior. This workshop is great for non-birders and birders alike, newbies to experts. Educators or community leaders are encouraged to attend as counting swifts in the fall is a fun, easy activity for all ages and makes for a great evening community event. And consider participating in “A Swift Night Out”, an annual continent-wide effort that began in 2001 to raise awareness about and encourage interest in Chimney Swifts and Vaux’s Swifts. On one night (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) over the second weekend of August and/or September observe a roost starting about 30 minutes before sunset and estimate the number of swifts that enter the site. Then submit your data to the Michigan Audubon Chimney Swift Roost Monitoring project. For more information, visit https://www.michiganaudubon.org/our-conservation-impact/chsw/.