Chimney Swift Program Description

Bats? Birds? Minions of the Underworld? If you have found strange looking birds in your fireplace or heard a deafening cacophony of sounds from inside it, congratulations! You likely have Chimney Swifts! Once numerous, these birds have experienced sharp declines in their range across the Eastern U.S. due to habitat loss during the last century. Join us as we unravel the mystery behind these unique and fascinating birds while giving you behind-the-scenes footage of our work with them through our Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic.

Bethany Sheffer Bio

Growing up in the heart of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Bethany enjoyed spending time outdoors with her father and Ojibwa native daycare provider. Though she began her nonprofit career working in social development within Latino communities, she reconnected with her enthusiasm for the natural world whilst completing her master’s degree in public administration and subsequently obtained positions working for Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina (as an AmeriCorps member), and other conservation-based nonprofits prior to her current one with the National Audubon Society. She is a certified Environmental Educator through the state of North Carolina and a certified Master Naturalist through Connecticut’s excellent Master Naturalist program. She has lived in parts of the Eastern United States and in South America and finds deep meaning in the connections between birds and people throughout the Western Hemisphere. If she could be any bird in the world, she would be a type of parrot.