The Wisconsin Chimney Swift Working Group is partnering with chimney sweeps and masons that service customers in Wisconsin. Our goal is to identify chimneys currently in use by swifts and to enlighten customers on how to maintain these structures to benefit the species. Chimney sweeps and masons are on the front lines of identifying occupied chimneys and interacting with homeowners who may not be aware of the issues.
Free educational materials are provided to chimney sweeps and masons who are interested in working with us.
If you have a masonry or chimney sweep business and have not been contacted by our group, please email helpchimneyswifts@gmail.com for more information.
This project has received funding by the Natural Resources Foundation and Bird City – Green Bay.
Click here for more information and a list of participating businesses.
Montana Outdoors published a great article on the Black Swift, the Chimney Swift’s cousin in western North America. Visit their site to read the article:
http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/2016/swift.htm#.WBzW2xw4I9k
To learn more about black swifts and to compare the four species of swifts in North America, visit the Audubon site:
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/black-swift
The WI Chimney Swift Working Group has advanced their agenda of acquainting more Wisconsin citizens with Chimney Swifts during autumn of 2013. At the last meeting of the Working Group, we met with faculty and students from Hartland to assist them with planning a replacement roost chimney for an historic building there that has hosted more than 1000+ swifts for their fall roost. Plans for the new chimney are in process.
During autumn of 2013, swift watches took places at over 120 sites in Wisconsin. Plans are underway for more watches in 2014, plus the building of swift towers at a number of locations in Wisconsin. A new Chimney Swift Working Group website is in process also. Check back here for more news as these projects unfold.
Keep Chimney Swifts common in Wisconsin