A Summer with Aerial Insectivores
This summer, as I was taking a break from this blog and keeping up with the busy season, I had the chance to meet some very interesting insect-eaters. Thanks to Birds Canada’s survey programs, I was able to contribute meaningfully to the conservation efforts for those species, even though the survey I did myself ended up with a total of zero sightings. Read on to learn more about my adventures (sorted by survey) and what you can do to help!
Samuel LeGresley, communications coordinator
Bird migration has always been a mystery to me. To go as far as Brazil, then come back to Canada, back and forth, relying only on sugar, protein and fat reserves; what a feat!
Aerial insectivores are a group of birds that specialize in catching and eating flying insects while in the air, hence the name. This group includes swifts, swallows, nightjars, and flycatchers. These remarkable birds play a crucial role in our ecosystems by helping to control insect populations. They’re known for their agility in flight, with specially-adapted wide mouths and, in some cases, bristles around their beaks to help them catch insects mid-air. Unfortunately, many species of aerial insectivores are experiencing significant population decline, making them a focus of many conservation efforts. Their sensitivity to changes in insect populations and habitats makes them important indicators of overall ecosystem health.
To understand the full picture, I visited three different surveying spots and spoke to four experts from Birds Canada:
- Allison MacKay, Conservation Planner (focusing on Bank Swallow surveys)
- Rielle Hoeg, Atlantic Outreach Biologist (focusing on Chimney Swift surveys)
- Allison Manthorne, Associate Director, Atlantic Programs & Aerial Insectivore Conservation Strategist
- Andrew Coughlan, Associate Director, Québec and Atlantic (focusing on Nightjar surveys)
Each species—whether Chimney Swifts, Bank Swallows, or Nightjars—has its own unique challenges and behaviours that shed light on the broader issue of bird conservation.
EARLY JUNE – Swifts at the Festival of Nature
During the Festival of Nature on June 7, 2024, we went to a Chimney Swift roost at an old school in Woodstock, NB after an activity where we learned about the species. Rare in New Brunswick, these roosts are very important for these birds. As opposed to nests, which can be home to only a few individuals, these bigger sites can host hundreds (perhaps even a thousand!) of these birds at once.
It was so mesmerizing seeing the Chimney Swifts fly into the chimney! Once one flies in, almost everyone follows the trend and goes in, too. It reminded me of the murmurations seen in other birds, when they all converge in the same direction, like the phenomenon seen in European Starlings and in the shorebirds who visit our Fundy shores in August.
Rielle Hoeg says that participation is looking good for these surveys. “I’d say we had a big dip when the pandemic hit and it’s been struggling to come back up with volunteer engagement, but I think we’re starting to see a boom again. Like this year, I had really good responses from people and new people coming in saying they wanted to survey Chimney Swifts.”
Surveys like this one that are only counting a single species are also more accessible than a traditional multi-species count.
“I think it’s different. It’s good to do those big surveys, of course, but this gives us more specific information about species that we really need a lot of information for,” said Hoeg.
Swiftwatch is a program you can participate in if you have a roost or nest nearby. Roosts are rarer than nests, but they host many more individuals as they rest there together in larger chimneys.
EARLY JULY – A Pint, No “Peent”, but Quite a Week!
In July, we held an activity called Nighthawks and Nightcaps with Andrew Coughlan from Birds Canada.
Nightjars are a family (Caprimulgidae) with 95 species, with two of those species present here in New Brunswick. They’re so called because of their jarring, mechanical-sounding nighttime calls, but they’re also called “flying toad” (“crapaud volant”) in French due to their wide, frog-like mouths. They’re known for their nocturnal habits and cryptic plumage, and they love a diversity of forest habitats, from open woodlands and forest edges, to clearings, and even urban areas with suitable vegetation.
The activity was meant to include a presentation at Maybee Brewing Co. followed by a survey, but the outdoor portion was cancelled due to heavy rain..
Nonetheless, it was great to chat with fellow wildlife enthusiasts from Fredericton and learn about these special birds together, even if the night included only pints, and no “peents”, the distinct call made by Nightjars.
Determined to see some Nighthawks after getting rained out, I went to the backroads of southern Kent County to do an inventory. My path was charted in advance and took me through some dirt roads at the beginning. I had my Honda Civic, but I would not recommend a small sedan for a dirt road bird survey. I had a friend with me, who was helping with the survey as I drove. We started driving from the south and went north stumbling upon a big mud puddle around the halfway mark. That meant we could only get to seven of the twelve spots on the map.
Some interesting observations include the sound of several kinds of warblers, a Killdeer Plover (yes we were in the middle of the woods, but it’s a kind of coastal plover that very often nests inland), and what probably was a flying woodcock, which I didn’t quite hear but could make out the long beak and the plump body.
We, however, did not hear any Common Nighthawks, nor an instance of a Whip-poor-will, the latter of which is very obvious when you hear it.
Despite the lack of sightings, the experience underscored the importance of patience and persistence in conservation work. As one expert from Birds Canada mentioned, “Nighthawks are a good indicator species because they rely on a healthy ecosystem with plenty of insects. Their decline is a signal that something is wrong in our environment.”
Coughlan says that even though I did not hear a single nightjar, “Zeroes are really, really useful too, because they help us determine local population distributions.” So don’t be discouraged if your nightjars don’t show up.
We had great fun just listening to nature for six minutes at a time though, and I would do it again provided I had a bigger vehicle. I’ll stick to paved-road surveys for now with my Honda.
LATE JULY – Swallows of the Shoreline Banks
In late July, I went to Cap-Acadie to visit one of their biggest Bank Swallow colonies. The watershed group Vision H2O contributes to the entry of data in the NatureCounts database, and I was able to tag along with them.
I didn’t get any closer to the colony than necessary, so as not to disturb their feeding and breeding. I did get the chance to take this video from a distance, using a scope and my cellphone.
Bank Swallows, which nest in eroding banks and cliffs, are another species that highlight the interconnectedness of ecosystems. Bank Swallows need a specific kind of habitat—eroding shorelines and loose soils—to dig their nests. But as shoreline development increases and natural erosion is accelerated, these habitats are disappearing. This visit made me realize how sensitive these birds are to changes in their environment and how important it is to protect these natural areas.
For Bank Swallows, we don’t even know the full extent of the colonies in NB. Allison MacKay reminds us that we can directly notify Birds Canada if we ever see a colony. “Even something so much as ‘Hey, there’s a bank swallow colony near me.’ The information is really useful because then we could have a tech go out and do the actual survey.”
The Importance of Habitat for a Varied Diet and Good Cover
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I am not a birder by any means. I like to watch birds, which probably makes me a birdwatcher, but my primary interest lies in plants.
That said, I had a great summer observing these fascinating migratory creatures.
I came into this thinking that warmth and mosquitoes were the things attracting aerial insectivores up north. Turns out it’s way more than that. Their diet is composed of a whole slew of insects, as a lot of them will eat whatever they can gulp down.
As Coughlan notes, “It’s important to note that these are long-distance migrants for the most part. They need what we can do [for] their breeding grounds, but they also need safe, secure habitat during migration and on their wintering grounds. These are species that use lots of different places during the course of the year, and that network of habitat really needs to be kept intact.”
The Bigger Picture of Insectivore Conservation
This summer’s journey into the world of aerial insectivores has been eye-opening. From the mesmerizing sight of Chimney Swifts diving into their roost, to the quiet anticipation of listening for Nightjars “peents” in the dark, to witnessing the bustling colony of Bank Swallows, each experience deepened my appreciation for these remarkable birds.
But more than that, it highlighted the critical role that these species play as indicators of our environmental health. As Allison Manthorne from Birds Canada put it, “You can’t protect what you don’t know.” By participating in these surveys, even when I heard nothing but silence, I was contributing to a larger body of knowledge that helps protect these species and their habitats.
The challenges facing aerial insectivores are complex, involving everything from habitat loss to climate change. But as I learned from the experts at Birds Canada, there are many ways we can help:
- Participate in bird surveys, even if you’re a beginner
- Help advocate for the preservation of habitats, including old chimneys, forests and eroding banks
- Create native plant gardens to support insect populations
- Share information about these species with others
- Donate to the organizations (like Nature NB and Birds Canada) that do this work
This summer has taught me that conservation is not just about grand gestures, but also about small, consistent efforts. Whether it’s spending an evening counting swifts, or simply leaving a patch of your garden wild, every action counts.
I may have started this journey as a casual birdwatcher, but I’m ending it with a deeper commitment to these fascinating aerial acrobats and the ecosystems they inhabit. I hope you’ll join me in keeping an eye (and an ear) out for these remarkable birds, and in doing what we can to ensure they continue to grace our summer skies for generations to come.
