Episode Details

Winnipeg couple Nettie and Thomas Rempel-Ong are hosting uninvited but charming guests: federally threatened chimney swifts, whose eerie chirping has turned their 91-year-old home into a bird sanctuary. These “flying cigars” — once common in hollow trees, now clinging to chimneys — are in steep decline, down 88% since 1970, due to habitat loss, dwindling insect prey, and climate change. The couple’s chimney is now legally protected, and conservationists are helping them build a second chimney to attract more swifts — nature’s mosquito-eating roommates. Thomas calls them “swifties,” and he’s thrilled to be part of their comeback story.

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