Siblings lead towering effort to save chimney swifts

A brother-sister team from Dartmouth has swooped in to bolster a bird population in swift decline.

Chimney swifts, as the name implies, rely largely on chimneys for nesting. With chimneys less common in modern construction, and with older chimneys often capped, the cigar-shaped birds, known for their swooping flight styles, struggle to find nests.

As a result, chimney swift numbers have declined 72 percent between 1966 and 2015, according to information provided by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.

To help offset this shortfall, Linda Vanderveer, land manager for Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, wanted to build a tower to help coax the birds to nest on the organization headquarters property at 318 Chase Road. 

But she didn’t know who could build one.

Enter Merle Durant, 17, a Dartmouth resident and student at Moses Brown School in Providence, who was looking for an Eagle Scout project. He reached out to Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust because his family enjoys the organization’s many trails. 

The concept of building the tower piqued his interest. 

“I didn’t even know what it was so I was intrigued by it,’’ he said. 

The tower, Vanderveer said, also needed an explanatory sign. And Merle knew just the person to help: His sister, Paige, 16, who also attends Moses Brown.

Creating a new home for the chimney swifts for the property would be especially appropriate, Vanderveer said. When an old barn on the property was upgraded for the creation of a new headquarters for the organization, a pair of chimney swifts was displaced.

So Merle went to work. 

Over the course of about 20 hours, he built three wooden boxes, with insulation inside and shingles on the exterior. 

When the boxes were completed, he poured cement on the ground where the tower would stand and let it sit for a time before placing the boxes, one atop the other. The very top of the tower is made of wood and resembles a chimney opening.

Before making the sign, Paige said she “did a ton of research’’ to learn about the habits and plight of the birds. “Linda gave me broad topics to include,’’ including habitat, conservation efforts, habits and diet. 

The tower was built last fall and the sign added in the spring. 

“We’re just so pleased to have both the tower and the sign and to have it be from a brother-sister combination is a first for DNRT,’’ Vanderveer said. 

No chimney swifts have taken up residence in the tower yet, which doesn’t particularly surprise Vanderveer. “Sometimes it just takes a little while’’ for the birds to settle in, she said.

But she frequently — and enthusiastically — sees the birds flying overhead near the tower. “I’m very encouraged,’’ she said. 

The Durants are pleased with their efforts. 

“I’m really proud of myself,’’ Merle said. “I can go and enjoy it whenever I want. It feels really cool having something with my name on it.’’