When I was coming back into the building at Wild Bird Rescue after checking the outdoor aviaries, I heard the distinctive sound of baby chimney swifts in the tower--hurray!
My husband built the tower at WBR a couple of years ago. I went to a Texas Master Naturalist annual conference where we learned to build them, taught by Paul and Georgeann Kyle and nothing would do but we had to have one on site at WBR. I am not too handy with anything that involves tools, so that meant I had to recruit someone who was--which as usual, meant my husband was recruited. We found a donor for the material--he "just" had to work out in the hot sun to put it up. The tower has had a nest for the past two seasons.
Although a tower may house many chimney swifts, only one pair builds a nest and lays eggs. Although Bob had seen chiminey swifts leaving the tower in the morning and entering at night (the birds fly all day, eating on the wing), he wasn't sure if there was a nest. But after today, I can say for sure there is. Now we hope the babies all fledge successfully.
Good birding!
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