How "Swift" Thinking Saved the Sharon Audubon Center’s Annual Chimney Swift Release

The Sharon Audubon Center’s wildlife rehabilitation clinic is well-known for rehabilitating Chimney Swifts. Throughout the spring and summer, we raise them in our clinic and prepare them for a late-August release into a local, wild flock.

But this year the normally 20-minute trip turned into a more than 10-hour, 1,000-mile adventure!

Following a week of poor Chimney Swift numbers at our local staging chimney, I reached out to a member of the Litchfield Hills Audubon Society who monitors chimneys in Woodbury, CT. At 8:00 p.m. that Saturday night, I got a voicemail from him with surprising news: our local swifts started migrating in mid-July and had fully left by the beginning of August.

Rehabilitated Chimney Swifts must be released into an established flock. These wild-raised flocks will take our clinic-raised birds under their wing by leading them to feeding areas, showing them their migration staging chimney and, eventually, travelling with them to the Amazon River Basin for the winter.

Learning our usual staging chimney’s flock was gone required a total change in plans.

Immediately, I went on a whirlwind eBird investigation to find the nearest large group of swifts. Nothing north of Washington D.C. was reported to be above single-digit numbers. However, I found a location in Virginia where 60 swifts were reported on August 16 and 70 on August 20—signs that a staging flock could be forming.

Ideally, we release our Chimney Swifts into staging flocks of more than 100 birds, or no less than 75. The two-day-old report of 70 was pushing it, but it was all I had to go on. By 11:00 p.m., I had decided to drive all of our swifts to Virginia in the hopes that flock would still be there.

At 6:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, I loaded up our remaining Chimney Swifts along with a tub of mealworms, feeding tools, release supplies, and a prayer and set out on my drive south.

Accounting for regular stops to feed, it was a 10-hour journey one way. (By the way, feeding Chimney Swifts in the car is quite cumbersome and awkward!)

I arrived at the general reported site, a pedestrian mall in a historic district, at 5:00 p.m. and began searching for a chimney. I drove to the top of the nearest parking garage as a viewpoint and was greeted with the site of a standalone cylindrical chimney right in front of me! I could only hope that it was the one.

I watched the flocks of pigeons, Mourning Doves, and starlings, but for two hours the sky was bereft of any swifts. Until, finally, at 7:20 p.m., two flew by! The kindling of hope. I started releasing our swifts at 7:40 p.m. as a group of 20 flew over my head.

Even if it was going to be a small flock tonight, I wanted to get our birds out. By 8:00 p.m., there were over 400 Chimney Swifts flying overhead—and I mean literally over my head!

Being on top of the parking garage left me nearly level with the top of the chimney and the swifts circling just out of reach; it was magical to be able to witness every wingbeat, every dip and turn, the raucous chattering, and our swifts being taken under the wing of this wild flock.

But, of course, that would have been too easy a conclusion. As the sunlight dimmed and the circling vortex was about to descend into the chimney, a Cooper's Hawk landed on the rim! The vortex disbanded. Luckily for our swifts, the hawk did not catch anything and flew off 10 minutes later.

I stood there watching and waiting for the chimney to become the focal point of the swifts again. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the vortex had re-formed behind me and had begun descending into a smaller, more modern chimney!

It was a huge relief to watch our swifts join the vortex and descend with them. Our beloved albino Chimney Swift—referred to fondly as our albino angel—flew beautifully among them and was quickly accepted into the flock! I even once spotted her within the flock later.

After this unexpectedly long journey, our rehabilitated juvenile Chimney Swifts are now flying free.

In all, we raised and released 36 Chimney Swifts this year—leaving us with a 63% release rate at the end of the season! This is an incredible feat and testament to the dedication of our clinic volunteers, who spent the summer providing round-the-clock care for our little flock.

Chimney Swifts are in decline across the country, including in Connecticut. By rehabilitating, releasing, and raising awareness about these unique birds and their conservation needs, the Sharon Audubon Center works to restore their populations. 

Learn more about our:

Chimney Swift Rehabilitation Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic