Chimney Swift videos

In the Fall, Chimney Swifts congregate in large numbers in preparation for their migration to South America. At dusk they begin to circle around large chimneys, air shafts and Chimney Swift Towers. As darkeness falls they enter their night time accomodations. They are not sound sleepers and are restless in the roost where they preen, chatter with their neighbors and fly from palce to place between short naps. At first light, they usually take to the sky.

After the young Chimney Swifts first leave the nest, they are still unable to fly. They exercise by climbing up and down the inside of the chimney or tower while flapping their wings. In this video we see one fledgling climbing in this fashion, while an older sibling actually flys up the tower...

Once the young Chimneny Swifts are completely feathered and their eyes are open, they will cling to nest and flap their wings to exercise their pectoral muscles. At this age, their vocalizations become more evident as they respond to the parents coming in to feed them...

The Chimmey Swift nest is now under construction. While one parent is gluing a newly collected twig with saliva, the mate comes in with another and waits patiently -- for a while...

Once young Chimney Swifts are fully feathered (about 21 days), they will leave the safety of the nest and climb onto the wall of the chimney or tower where the nest is located. In this video, the youngest baby Chimney Swift contemplates leaving the nest to join it's siblings...

In this overhead view, one of the young fledgling Chimney Swifts has discovered his reflection in the camera at the viewing port in the Chimney Swift tower (notice the siblings in the background lower in the tower). One of our viewers named the featured swift Puddin', and it seemed to fit. Puddin' at first seems to doze off, then suddenly wake up. He preens, stretches and then drops down to join his siblings...

Contrary to some sources, Chimney Swifts do not mate on the wing. They have a highly ritualized mating behavior that normally occurs just below the nest...

Vaux's Swifts swarm into the chimney at Chapman Elementary School, Portland, Oregon

Chimney Swifts preparing to build a nest and raise their family in a wooden Chimney Swift tower at Travis Audubon's Chaetura Canyon Bird Sanctuary. Visit www.chimneyswifts.org for more information

As the feather sheaths break open exposing the true feathers, the young swifts preen continuosly to condition the new plumage. Tiny bits of the discarded sheath can be seen floating free in the tower. The last sheaths to break open are those on the head and face of the babies -- giving them a "frosty-faced" appearance.

CHIMNEY SWIFTS getting closer and closer to entering the big chimney for the night

The Chimney Swift eggs hatch 8 to 12 hours apart after 18 to 21 days of incubation by both parents. The young are fed mouthfulls of small flying insects (mosquitoes, gnats, termites, etc.) that are caught on the wing by the adults. Both parents feed and brood the young...

As the baby swifts grow, the parents must spend more and more time gathering small flying insects to feed their hungry youngsters. However, they will still take turns broooding the featherless chicks...

Thanks Mom! Dr. Flint's mother spotted these swifts on Wednesday evening and gave me a full report. I followed her directions to downtown Biddeford and found the swifts returning home. I gave up on counting! They are small and fast and here is the footage! Passerby who saw me kept asking "are those bats?"

Some Chimney Swift entries and exits from the chimney at Club Amical in St. Adolphe, Manitoba. The video was taken in 2007.

I heard a racket of noise downstairs.. but I couldn't figure out what it was. My mom who is hard of hearing didn't hear a thing. But 20 minutes later after I had dropped off the little bird at a volunteer of the organization in lincoln "Wild Life Rescue".. my mom called my name.. and said:"We found some more." Thank god our cat was outside! Or he would have had a field day! Three little fledgings were found in the chimney, along with one adult that had been flying around in the downstairs ...

Approximately 250 chimney swifts enter the chimney of the old Brunswick High School building to roost for the night.

The swifts are again nesting in the chinmey next door.

Chimney Swift www.yellowpages.ca

View this and other live nest cams at www.nestcams.org. NestCams is a project of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Clip shows one of the Chimney Swift young (hatched on July 4, 2008) being fed.

Chimney Swift - Changing and feeding today

Once the nest is large enough, the female will lay one egg every other day, and both parents will continue to enlarge and strengthen the nest until as many as 7 eggs are laid...

Chimney Swift - Learning to fly

4 days post-hatching The nestlings have sharp claws which enable them to cling to the nest. During the first 10 days the chicks will increase in body mass 10- to 12-fold from 1.0-1.5 g at hatching to 60-80% of adult weight, 14.5-21.5 g.

Chimney Swift Nest 2