A what?

You’ve probably heard of chimney sweeps, thanks to Mary Poppins; but what is a chimney swift?

A small, acrobatic, cigar-shaped bird, the chimney swift feeds exclusively on flying insects, including mosquitoes, gnats and small flies. Yet the little bird with an unusual name has suffered a 50 percent decline in population over the last 40 years, with the biggest drop in the last decade. As a result, efforts are underway by the Audubon Minnesota to educate the public about chimney swifts and how people can help conserve this bird.

So what is a chimney swift tower? The 16-foot tower at Wirth Park will be used for nesting by a single pair of birds. They may also share the space with several other roosting chimney swifts. If the tower becomes popular with the chimney swifts, hundreds of birds may use it for roosting during the spring and fall migration. The tower in Wirth is the first in Minneapolis parks.

The ribbon cutting for the chimney swift tower at J.D. Rivers’ Children’s Garden is Tuesday, Aug. 17. The event is held from 6:30-7:30 p.m., with the ribbon cutting at 7 p.m. The public program includes birding walks (binoculars provided), a garden tour, samples of fresh garden produce and plenty of chimney swift information. All are welcome to come early and bring a picnic to the park.

The chimney swift tower and informational kiosk project is a collaborative effort by the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board (MPRB), Audubon Minnesota and the Bryn Mawr Neighborhood Association (BMNA). The Audubon Chapter of Minneapolis contributed $700 toward the building materials and BMNA contributed $150 for education materials. The MPRB’s environmental education division funded the kiosk. The tower and kiosk were built by Minneapolis Parks carpenters and the Teen Teamworks Garden Crew.

About Chimney Swifts
Chimney swifts migrate from the Amazon Basin of Peru, Brazil and Chile and nest in Minnesota each May. These birds are often confused with bats as they are primarily seen at dusk as they spend the majority of their day feeding on insects and collecting twigs for their nests. A nesting pair and their offspring consume over 2,000 flying insects every day.

Historically, chimney swifts nested and roosted on the interior walls of hallow trees. As old forests were cut down, the birds adapted to a man-made habitat – masonry chimneys. Modern chimneys, however, have displaced the birds as the chimney’s metal or ceramic liners leave the birds nowhere to perch, leaving fewer places for the swifts to nest.

For more on the chimney swift, visit http://mn.audubon.org/birds-science-education/audubon-at-home/chimney-swift-conservation-project.

The one-acre J. D. River’s Children’s Garden provides programs focused on children and teens, horticulture therapy and intergenerational programming with recent immigrants. From late-May to late-September, children plant, weed, water, compost, harvest, prepare, sample and take home the garden produce, such as vegetables, herbs, and a little bit of fruit and flowers. Extra produce is donated to a local food shelf. The garden is located on Glenwood Ave. just west of Bassett’s Creek.