The Ely Field Naturalists are looking for public assistance throughout the Arrowhead Region to identify and report the presence of chimney swifts and purple martins. The numbers of chimney swifts in Minnesota have declined by as much as 48 percent in the past four decades. During the same time period in Canada, chimney swifts have declined by 98 percent and are a threatened species in Ontario.
July and August are the times to observe chimney swifts entering and exiting chimneys. Seek out chimneys in your town or area that are not being used for heating during the summer and spend some time watching for swifts at dusk. If you see any swifts using a chimney, email the Ely Field Naturalists at efnbill@ gmail.com.
Locations of active chimneys will be used to access how common the presence of chimney swifts is in northeastern Minnesota and to conduct “swift sits” in August and September.
Purple martin colonies have not been reported in Ely for over 20 years. There was an active martin house in the vacant lot behind the Holiday Station. It is very hard to get purple martins reestablished once they leave, so it is important to identify and maintain existing colonies.
Although there have been some rumors of purple martins elsewhere in northern Minnesota, the Minnesota Purple Martin Working Group has no known colonies in northeastern Minnesota. If you or anyone you know has an active purple martin colony, you can help maintain these birds in Minnesota. Purple martins numbers in the state have declined by 80 percent during the last 40 years.
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