Chimney Swifts are one of the most unique birds. They are migratory and are normally in the Wichita Falls area from early April to the end of September. Once the swifts leave their roost in they morning, they are constantly in flight until they return in the evening. Their roosts are known to house hundreds of swifts. Their numbers are slow to climb due to the reproduction habits of the species. Out of those hundreds of birds in the colony, only one pair will mate and raise young. Three to five babies a year per colony. Chimney Swifts learn from other members of their colony. Therefore, when we release babies we must release them to an established colony.
Over the years we have had to search for a colony to release the babies we raised. Three years ago, Wild Bird Rescue volunteers completed the construction of a Chimney Swift tower. Since then, there has been a mating pair every year. There is a door on the bottom of the tower that is lowered and we simply place the babies up inside and they climb or fly up to join the flock.
That's one more project that WBR has accomplished to ensure the success of our mission. This year we just released four more Chimney Swifts to join our colony.
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