Chimney Swifts

[Rhetta Jack]

I attended a small event this morning in downtown Springfield IL and I kept hearing Chimney Swifts behind me. I was amazed as I have not heard nor seen any around here in a while. It is still warm and there are plenty of insects flying around and I just wonder if they are still here fueling up in the warmth before migrating to the south. 

Rhetta Jack, Springfield, IL

[Ed McDevitt]

eBird (https://science.ebird.org/en/status-and-trends/species/chiswi/abundance-map?season=postbreeding_migration) tells us that Chimney Swifts can remain in our area into November (click on "Post-breeding Migratory Season"), but they're mostly gone by late October.

Ed McDevitt

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   To expose logic fallacies,
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(630) 651-6227 (C)

On Fri, Oct 10, 2025 at 12:49 PM Rhetta Jack <lotor...@gmail.com> wrote:

I attended a small event this morning in downtown Springfield IL and I kept hearing Chimney Swifts behind me. I was amazed as I have not heard nor seen any around here in a while. It is still warm and there are plenty of insects flying around and I just wonder if they are still here fueling up in the warmth before migrating to the south. 

Rhetta Jack, Springfield, IL

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[Paul Clyne]

In connection with unusually late Illinois departure dates of Chimney Swifts in fall 2006, I summarized some data for a piece that the journal Meadowlark published back in 2007, and some of those remarks may still seem relevant.

I don't know how to link the specific article, but the IOS website provides a link to the journal's full text, in which the Chimney Swift discussion is the lead article in that issue: https://www.illinoisbirds.org/illinois/meadowlark/New%20Meadowlarks%20July%202015/2007-Vol.-16-Number-2.pdf

Paul Clyne

Chicago (Cook Co)

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[pwmo...@gmail.com]

We had a large migrating flock of Chimney Swifts on Sun 10/5 in Chicago's Jackson Park. I was seeing individuals in our neighborhood as late as Wed 10/8, but at this point I'm pretty sure they're fully gone for the season.

[Bob Fisher]

At the Greene Valley hawkwatch in Naperville this AM, we had small numbers of swifts foraging over the hawkwatch hilltop.

Over the 20 years of the GV hawkwatch, we've seen them annually in late October into the 1st few days of November, since the GV count began in 2006, likely related to milder weather extending later into the fall season.

So they are still likely to be seen for a couple more weeks, at least.

Thanks, Paul, for the link to your 2006 fall season article on swifts in the IOS Meadowlark!

Regards
Bob Fisher

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ilbirds/8d981fcc-c728-4199-9e23-d96788a72735n%40googlegroups.com

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