Sharon Audubon Center
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Conservation Action Center that protects birds and their habitats through education programming, volunteer engagement, and youth development.
What's that noise in the chimney?
Are you hearing chattering above your fireplace? Congratulations, you could be a Chimney Swift landlord!
Chimney Swifts are a special but declining species here in Connecticut. Unlike the vast majority of other birds, Chimney Swifts do not perch; their leg anatomy is built to cling and hang, leaving them nearly incapable of crossing flat surfaces. Instead, they spend an entire day "on the wing" as aerial insectivores who display incredible feats of acrobatics catching insects mid-air. Overtime, these birds have adapted to building their nests within stone and brick chimneys as hollow trees became more highly competitive nesting sites. Don't worry, their nests pose zero damage to a chimney, and the birds will be gone before it's time to light that first fire of the season.
Chimney Swifts are migratory and returned this spring from the Amazon Basin. Now, around early July, eggs will be hatching and chicks will be intermittently chattering whenever a parent visits them with food. Keep an ear out for changes-- constant chattering or constant silence is a sign of trouble, and a rehabber should be contacted to help assess the situation. In September, large flocks of swifts will be heading back south to the Basin where they have a buffet of insects all winter long.
Video: Chimney Swifts being fed within our wildlife rehabilitation clinic/ Sharon Audubon 2025
06/17/2026
Inside this little green box is a listening device called an ARU, and for the next two weeks it will record bird songs and calls for several hours each morning and evening at the Sharon Audubon Center.
Its first stop is in a forested area of the property where spongy moth has caused many of the oak trees to die. Although that was a large disturbance at the time, a few years have passed and now the understory is dense with regenerating trees and shrubs taking advantage of the extra light coming through the canopy.
This young forest habitat is ideal for Wood Thrush, which have lost 60% of their population in the past 50 years. We're hoping our ARU picks up this particular bird's song!
Photos: Suzanne Treyger/Audubon
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Address
325 Cornwall Bridge Road
Sharon, CT
06069
Opening Hours
| Thursday | 1pm - 4:30pm |
| Friday | 1pm - 4:30pm |
| Saturday | 1pm - 4:30pm |
| Sunday | 1pm - 4:30pm |
