At the end of the month, residents of Magog, Que. are invited to catch a glimpse of a bird species that various conservation groups are trying to save from extinction. The chimney swift (Martinet ramoneur) is a small, dark grey-brown bird that flutters through the sky similar to a swallow with their long, narrow, tapered wings and short tails. These “flying cigars” are long-distance migratory birds and insectivores, two North American bird types that Birds Canada lists as in rapid decline. Environment Canada says between 1968 and 2004, individual numbers dropped by 95 per cent. In 2022, the Chimney Swift Chimney Restoration Fund began helping restore nesting and roosting structures by offering property owners, including some in Montreal and other areas of Quebec, compensation. In the Eastern Townships, more than 200 chimneys are dedicated to the birds, both on private properties and in municipalities, such as Magog. In 2024, Magog built a chimney at Espace Saint-Luc Park to relocate birds, and several have taken over the chimney in the area, meaning the owners could not renovate the property. The city built them a new house a few metres away. The community event on Aug. 30 will take place at the park. Quebec Oiseaux published a decision-making tool for chimney owners wanting to check if their chimney is suitable for the birds. Fun facts about chimney swifts Conservation status: Tipping point (orange) Swifts fly north in the spring to nest and breed in eastern North America and winter in western South America, leaving in early August-October. Before becoming chimney inhabitants, they would nest mainly in hollow trees in old-growth forests. Deforestation has deeply damaged this practice. When awake, chimney swifts are almost always in flight, catching more than 1,000 flies, beetles and other insects in a day. Sometimes, the birds even copulate while in flight. Chimney swifts use glue-like saliva from under their tongues to cement nests to a chimney wall or rock face. A group of swifts is called a “scream.”
