Кормление птенцов дымчатого иглохвоста / feeding chimney swifts

These are chimney swift babies at a wildlife rehabilitation facility. They were there for several weeks and are almost ready to be released. Most were brought in as small nestlings (very few feathers) after being found by citizens, most often in their fireplaces or homes after the nest accidentally fell down the chimney. If found they must be taken to a licensed rehabber for proper care and release. You can usually find a rehabber online or through your state’s environmental protection dept. Better yet, you can help them by blocking the flue during the summer, so if the nest falls, the parents can still get to the babies and continue to feed them. They will climb up the inside of the chimney to get out when they are ready to fledge.