Ontario SwiftWatch Monitoring Program
Ontario SwiftWatch is a volunteer-based program where community
groups and professional biologists work together to locate and
describe nesting and roosting Chimney Swift habitat within Ontario's
urban areas. These grass-roots groups find and track Chimney Swift
nest and roost locations within their communities, count numbers of
birds, and act as urban stewards for active habitat sites. Bird
Studies Canada (BSC) helps facilitate this process by providing
training, support, monitoring resources, and data management and
analysis.
Launched in 2009 by BSC, SwiftWatch is a province-wide endeavor,
engaging multiple communities as well as academic, government, and
nongovernmental partners. Support for the program is provided by
Environment Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and
the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
Ontario SwiftWatch is a fun, family-friendly, social program that
allows citizens to become directly involved in watching and
protecting urban wildlife. Participants spend time walking and
enjoying evenings in their town while collecting information that
directly supports bird conservation.
For details concerning participation in the SwiftWatch program
contact 1-888-448-2473 ext. 124 or OntarioSwiftWatch@birdscanada.org
