by Peter Middleton and Norah Toth

Habitat, we all have a different interpretation of what it means. When we look at houses, we usually relate to the inside - comfortable rooms, windows and pleasant furnishings. The chimney is really only to let out noxious gasses in the winter and perhaps for Santa Claus to climb down at Christmas. In fact, today, chimneys are often considered redundant. They are either not required on new construction or are capped so that "critters" can't use that space. Chimneys are valuable critical habitat for a threatened species of bird called a Chimney Swift, beautifully illustrated in this painting by Barry K. Mackay.

The Chimney Swift is a small cigar-shaped bird. It is an adept flyer and spends much of its life airborne. When it does land, it does not have the ability to perch and therefore uses the vertical surfaces of chimneys and hollow trees as nesting and roosting sites. When it flies overhead it is often catching a variety of insects. Its erratic flight resembles the flight patterns of bats. If you listen closely, its high chattering call can be heard above you.

In Owen Sound, the Old Courthouse chimney has been used by Chimney Swifts as an important community roost following nesting dispersal. Records show that in 2008 up to 160 birds were counted dropping into the chimney in early August. Since thenthe numbers have consistently declined. Local birding expert, Peter Middleton, has been maintaining records about the Chimney Swift and this Owen Sound site since then and in 2014 the maximum count was 23. This is an 85% population decline at this site in a period of 7 years! Other chimneys that previously were used included West Side United Church, First Calvary Church on 10th Street West and before it was dismantled, the chimney of Alexandra School.

The belief is that in the past most of the Owen Sound population used the many chimneys available throughout the city for breeding and then formed the large communal roost following fledge or when they began to fly. In that role, the Old Courthouse chimney is critical habitat. Many chimneys have been capped and removed as possible nesting sites. The result is the almost complete absence of swifts from the skies of Owen Sound.

Changes to the existing chimney at the Old Courthouse will not only alter the cultural values of this building, it will also affect the natural values by removing critical habitat for this threatened species.