how to build a chimney swift bird house

I made a Chimney Swift Bird Tower in Spring 2021. Basically, a faux chimney to give Chimney Swift Birds a safe sheltering place. They are an endangered species of bird.

While visiting Wolfville, Nova Scotia at the farmers market. I noticed a chimney structure that I thought could be a pizza oven exhaust. Its in the park next to the library. There was information posted about the chimney being a Chimney Swift Bird Tower. Daniel is more informed on the environment than I am. So I asked him more about it. It intrigued me.

Upon researching, we realized that the Chimney Swift Birds are depleting in numbers as their habit is being taken away. Generally, they would prefer hollowed-out trees but in forestry, some birds have resorted to living in chimneys.

Daniel has planted 100s of trees on the grounds and with it, many of the trees and shrubs require pollination. Since planting the trees, birds have returned and some are living year-round now. So I wondered, what can I do to do a chimney swift tower knowing the one in the park is a mock chimney that has a flock?

The rush is to get this made and up before the Chimney Swift Birds return from Migration which is approximately the 3rd week of April for Nova Scotia.

The tower box is 12 feet long without including the support beams to get it to go higher. The box needs to be raised to a minimum of 3 feet from the ground surface to allow airflow. So you dont want to plant graces or anything under the tower to prevent the air from moving.

In keeping with traditional Nova Scotia, we decided to use shakes for the top 4 feet of the tower. We used prefab faux barn board panels that are paintable. That was used on the bottom 8 feet of the tower.

So the outside of the box has the faux barn board and a additional padding at the top to allow the shakes to sit flush. The shakes were specially painted and cut to fit. They were stapled into position with 6″ overlap.

The top of the chimney has to be a certain size to allow the birds to have some shelter but enough room to come and go. It is 13″ long by 8″ wide opening. I didnt paint inside the opening so the birds have access to wood without any paint to negotiate.

During the entire making, I was scared about the weight. Daniel and I could turn this over on the workhorses but once the main support beams when on, it was too heavy to lift on our own.

We used a tractor to move it to the butterfly garden. A pad of gravel was prepared and levelled. We used the tractor to pivot the tower upright.

Once positioned, the tower was anchored with additional temporary supports. We used 16 bags of concrete mix to bury the base with additional wood beams we added that is inside the concrete base. The temporary supports will come off after 1 week. Daniel will be placing some armour stone boulders at the base for added weight to the base.

The tower sits about 40 feet back from the insect hotel. The insect hotel was the Spring 2020 project.

Realistically, we havent seen an uptick in bugs but we need more diversity and that will come in time. However, Daniel noticed that ladybugs were crawling around the house on a warm day.

Now its just a matter of time to see if chimney swifts can locate our tower. Its at the highest spot of our grounds. It sits 15 feet into the air. Its hard to know if it will work. With the bat population being decimated, we could lure in bats with this tower as well. We will never really know but if you never build it, you cannot really ever know.

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4. Raise Funds for Materials: Tower construction can range in price from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on materials. The Audubon NC recommended tower design costs around $600 per tower. The cost of materials to construct a tower can be covered through grants, individual donations, or even support from local government. Identify conservation programs offered to cover the cost of your tower. Here’s a grant program from Wildlife Rehabilitators Inc. specifically for Chimney Swift towers in North Carolina.

1. Identify Partners: Reaching out to natural partners like nature centers, schools, scouting organizations, or religious communities is a great way to support the growth of Chimney Swifts in your community. Building a Tower Make sure to get in touch with the local Audubon chapter if there is one.

Volunteers and avian enthusiasts are moving quickly throughout the state to save the Chimney Swift, 2016, Audubon North Carolina’s Bird-Friendly Communities 2016 Bird of the Year. The number of chimney swifts is drastically declining, and as older chimneys are sealed off or demolished, the chimneys where they nest are rapidly disappearing.

In addition to building a new chimney tower to ensure that these birds have a place to roost while they fly through North Carolina, other excellent ways to get involved and support the survival of these urban birds include uncapping chimneys, reporting swift sightings here, and taking part in fall Swift Watches.

In all likelihood, there hasn’t been a rise in bugs, but we still need greater diversity, which will eventually be achieved. On a warm day, though, Daniel noticed ladybugs crawling around the house.

To provide the birds with some cover and enough space to come and go, the top of the chimney must have a specific size. It is 13″ long by 8″ wide opening. The birds have access to wood because I didn’t paint inside the opening, leaving them without any paint to deal with.

Daniel has planted hundreds of trees on the property; consequently, pollination is necessary for many of the trees and shrubs. Birds have returned since the trees were planted, and some are now year-round residents. Given that the one in the park is a fake chimney with a flock of birds, I started to wonder what I could do to create a chimney swift tower.

Therefore, to enable the shakes to sit flush, the top of the box has extra padding and the exterior is covered in a faux barn board. The shakes were specially painted and cut to fit. They were stapled into position with 6″ overlap.

It was moved to the butterfly garden using a tractor. A pad of gravel was prepared and levelled. We used the tractor to pivot the tower upright.

FAQ

How much does it cost to build a Chimney Swift Tower?

Raise Funds for Materials: Tower construction can range in price from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on materials. The Audubon NC recommended tower design costs around $600 per tower.

What is the nesting structure of a Chimney Swift?

The nest is a half-saucer of loosely woven twigs, stuck together and cemented to the chimney wall with the bird’s glue-like saliva. Both parents independently contribute to the nest: they break off small twigs with their feet while flying through branches, then return to the nest site with the twigs in their bills.

How do swifts roost in a chimney?

The swift pair builds a small half-saucer nest made of twigs and their own saliva, which they attach to the inner wall of the chimney. Sometimes nest chimneys are also used by helper birds and other non-breeding roosting birds. Swift pairs tend to return to the same nesting chimney every year.

How many Chimney Swifts live in a chimney?

At a Glance Because the bird can be easily captured and banded in such situations, it has been studied much more thoroughly than other North American swifts. In late summer, hundreds or even thousands of individuals may roost in one large chimney, gathering in spectacular flocks overhead near dusk.