Town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia

Robie Tufts Nature Centre

Opened in July 1990, the Robie Tufts Nature Centre was constructed to preserve one of the few local homes of the chimney swift. In addition to protecting the swifts' habitat and providing people with the opportunity to observe their spectacular antics, this interpretative centre seeks to promote awareness of and interest in local natural history and the environment.

The centre is named in honour of the late Robie W. Tufts, a long-time Wolfville resident and renowned ornithologist. During his lifetime, Robie Tufts inspired many to study and preserve nature and he authored numerous books including Birds of Nova Scotia. His enthusiasm influenced many, such as the late Austin Rand, long-time chief curator of zoology at Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History, and Earl Godfrey, author of The Birds of Canada. It is hoped that this interpretative centre will provide further inspiration, and remain as a tribute to a remarkable man.

The Chimney Swifts of Wolfville

The summer presence of the chimney swifts in Wolfville is not a new phenomenon. Notes kept by Robie Tufts indicated that swifts had been sighted in this area as early as 1897, although they have probably summered here for much longer. While the swifts have spent many summers in the Wolfville area, it was only fairly recently that they adopted their present home on Front Street.

Other locations in Wolfville have housed swifts through the years. The Acadian newspaper of August 4, 1938 reported chimney swifts in the MacKay schoolhouse, located on Acadia Street. Apparently, the chimney of the old building was a roosting site for many years, and it is likely they continued to occupy the chimney until 1972, when the building was torn down.

University Hall, on the Acadia campus, is another chimney swift roosting site. Unused since a new heating plan was build in 1951, the chimney on the southwest corner of the hall has been used by the swifts for decades.

The chimney at this interpretation centre was once of the Farmers Dairy building. In the mid-1970's, the dairy stopped processing milk at its Wolfville location and started using the building only as a shipping depot. Possibly it was then that the dairy's chimney became available ti the chimney swifts for roosting. The swifts were first seen roosting here in 1979. and have returned yearly ever since.

When the dairy was demolished in 1989, the Blomidon Naturalists Society and the Wolfville Business Development Corporation joined forces to save the old dairy chimney from destruction and the Robie Tufts Nature Centre was constructed.

The Chimney Swift

Over seventy species of swifts are found world-wide, and of the four species found in North America, the chimney swift is the most common. Called Chaetura pelagicaby scientists, the chimney swift was once believed to be a type of swallow, and many of the older birding manuals list it as "Chimney Swallow". Although the resemblance is striking, the two are not closely related. In fact, the chimney swift is grouped with the hummingbirds into the order Apodiformes, separately from the swallows. This Latin name translates literally to "without feet", and refers to the shortness of the swifts' legs.

The distinguishing feature of the swifts is their wing design. The swifts' wings are rigid, pointed structures, flexible mainly at the shoulder joint. Like the hummingbirds, the joint is a ball-and-socket structure and allows the swifts fine control and manoeuvrability both at very low and high flying speeds. Also as a result of their wing structure, the swifts are capable of reaching higher speeds than any other family of birds.

Chimney swifts are well-known throughout much of eastern and Midwestern North America. They are small brown-grey birds, seldom more than 13 centimetres in length, and have long, narrow, pointed wings. Their bodies are cigar-shaped, and their "bow-and-arrow" silhouette makes them easy to identify. The swifts possess a very irregular flying style and, for some time, it was believed that unlike other birds, the swift could beat its wings alternately. Slow-motion photography has since disproven this.

Probably because their tiny feet are not well adapted to perching, the swifts remain in flight from the moment they leave their roosting place in the morning, to the time they return at dusk. Unlike the swallow, the swift is never seen resting on a branch or wire. Instead, the entire day is spent on the wing, catching insects, and, later in the summer, building the nest.

The Swifts' diet consists mainly of flies, small beetles, flying ants, and other insects, which are caught in mid-air in the bird's gaping mouth. It has been estimated that the birds may fly hundreds of kilometres in their daily search for food, and that thousands of insects are consumed daily by each swift. Therefore, the birds may be important in controlling populations of flying insects.

At the end of the day when the swift does finally return to its roosting place, it attaches itself to a vertical surface such as the chimney with the help of the spiny quills in its tail. Without these quills, found also in woodpeckers, roosting on vertical surfaces such as chimneys would be an impossible task. By combining the grip of its tiny strong claws with the support of its spiny tail, the swift is thus able to rest comfortably on most any vertical surface.

Migration

For a long time, the destination of the chimney swifts' winter journey south was a mystery. Based on reports of sightings, scientists believed it to be somewhere in Central or South America, but definite proof did not come until 1943. That year it is said, an explorer in the remote Northeast regions of Peru encountered an Indian tribe wearing necklaces made of aluminum rings. Examining the jewellry more closely, he found the rings were leg bands used by scientists to track bird mirgrations. These particular bands once belonged to chimney swifts tagged in North America. Today, we know that chimney swifts winter in a region of Peru near the Amazon drainage, between the Napo and Putumayo rivers.

For birds that are able to fly hundreds of kilometres per day, the spring migration northwards is surprisingly slow. One reason for this is that the swifts feed while they fly, often straying from their route while chasing insects. Another reason is the uncertain weather of early spring. Rain and wind kill the flying insects that make up the swifts' diet, and often, the swifts are delayed for days at a time whole awaiting fair weather.

The first chimney swifts reach the southern parts of the United States about the third week of March, and the New England coast a full month later. Spring sightings of swifts in Nova Scotia are recorded as early as late April, but usually the arrival is around the second week of May. Here they stay, mating, feeding and raising young for the duration of the summer.

In the late August and early September, while the weather is still warm, the swifts begin their journey south. The main reason they leave early is to avoid a cold snap that might kill the flying insects that are their only food. At their winter destination in Peru, the weather stays warm year round, ensuring a steady supply of flying insects.

Chimney Swifts and People

It has been said that the chimney swift is one of the few species of birds that has not been harmed by the rapidly expanding human population. At one time the swifts made their nests in hollow trees and branches, with a mere shell of bark and wood to support them. As people gradually settled the areas where the swifts made their homes, many of these "swift trees" were destroyed. The ease with which the swifts found new homes in barns, under bridges, and in chimneys is testimony to their surprising ability to adapt to their environment.

To this day, in districts remote from human dwellings, it is not uncommon to find the birds nesting inside trees, as did their forbears who never saw a chimney. And while chimney swifts in more urban areas seem to have no trouble finding homes in chimneys or other structures, it has been suggested that new construction techniques may change this. Unlike the irregular inner surfaces of the older chimneys, the smoothly-lined flues in the newer structures do not provide suitable points of attachment for the nests of the chimney swifts.

The Robie Tufts Nature Centre was organized in a co-operative effort by the Town of Wolfville, the Wolfville Business Development Corporation and the Blomidon Naturalists Society with the help of many individuals and groups. Many hours of volunteered labour have gone into organizing this centre, and its successful opening is a tribute to the efforts of the many involved.

To maintain this centre and to circulate informative materials and brochures, the Blomidon Naturalists Society relies on the donations from the public. The Robie Tufts Nature Centre is a tribute to the enormous community support that the project receives, and continued support will ensure the swifts' return for years to come.