Hi Everyone, happy holidays. My new children’s book “Whose Butt” is a favorite for children of all ages. Be sure to pick one up for the youngster in your life. It’s a great holiday gift. Available at www.amazon.com or www.adventurepublications.net.

For over twenty years I have been wishing, hoping and wanting that Chimney Swifts would adopt my vacant chimney and take up residency. This year it finally happened. I’ve been climbing up on the roof with a second ladder in my hands because once I get on the roof I need a second ladder to climb up to the top of the chimney so I can peer down into the dark shaft. I repeat this every year in hopes of seeing a nest but nothing. This year it changed.

Before you panic and think that I am out of my mind, let me assure you that the main roof is not steep and is very easy to navigate. Secondly, the chimney is only 8 feet tall and the ladder I use to get to the top is safe and secure. In addition, the fireplace was converted to gas many years ago and the chimney hasn’t been used for many years. Besides, climbing on a ladder on a roof is nothing when you compare it to photographing wolves, bears and other large predator which I do on a regular basis.

Chimney Swifts (Chaetura pelagica) are a remarkable birds. They are only about five inches long with a pointed body on both ends. This is why they are often referred to as flying cigars. Their wings are much longer than their tails. Superficially they look like a type of swallow and are often seen feeding along side of swallows, but they are not closely related. In fact they are more closely related to hummingbirds. They have a similar fused wing structure to hummingbirds but obviously their bills are completely different and they feed on different kinds of food.

There are four species of swift in the U.S. but only one species is found in the eastern half of the country. They are all in the family Apodidae. Chimney Swifts are exclusively aerial insect eaters. During good weather the swifts are flying high and catching flying insects. During rainy weather they are often seen feeding low to the ground presumably because this is where the bugs would be concentrated during bad weather. They also fly and hunt in small groups or squadrons. Flying in formation, up to ten Chimney Swifts zip around the sky, chattering in unison as they snap bugs out of the air.

These birds were designed to fly. The only time they spend not flying is when they are roosting at night or during nesting. The roost inside vertical structures such as chimneys, hollow trees or crevices in cliffs. You can imagine in pre-settlement times in North American they used trees and cliffs exclusively but with human settlement with our buildings and the associated chimneys their behavior has changed dramatically.

While most birds have wings that bend at a wrist, allowing the wing to fold up neatly over the birds back, swifts and also hummingbirds have a fused wrist forcing the wings to lay straight over the back. Because of this, when the wings are over the back the tips of the wings reach beyond the tail.

Now for the amazing part. As the name would imply the Chimney Swifts not only roost in chimneys they also nest inside of chimneys. They attach their nests to the vertical surfaces inside the chimney. Using their own saliva they “glue” tiny twigs and other natural plant materials to the inside wall of the chimney. When completed it looks like a half saucer and holds up to five eggs.

They often nest in small colonies. Mated pairs are often helped by a male or female helpers. Helpers occasionally help incubate but mainly they help feed the young after hatching.

At this time of year you can see many swifts gathering in the sky above large industrial chimneys or old school house chimneys right at sunset. One by one they file into the chimney to roost for the night. What an amazing bird. If you know of a chimney swift colony feel free to contact me. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the US to study and photograph wildlife. He can be contact followed on Facebook.com or Twitter.com or you can contact him via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.