We have recently added two 12 ft chimney swift towers to our grounds.

On May 9, 2009 officials from Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden and the Indiana University Alumni Association celebrated the accomplishments of two local Boy Scouts, Mitch Schapker and Ben Johnson. Each scout constructed one chimney swift nesting tower from a design created by Paul and Georgean Kyle of the Driftwood Wildlife Association. The scouts built them to complete their Eagle Scout service project using materials purchased by the Indiana University Alumni Association. The structures were placed in the landscape near the exit of AMAZONIA: Forest of Riches, Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden’s new South American rainforest exhibit to illustrate the link between the North and South American habitats used by these declining birds. An interpretive sign illustrates the 6,000 mile roundtrip flight that chimney swifts make between Evansville Indiana and their wintering grounds in Peru.

For more information see about chimney swifts and chimney swift conservation visit www.chimneyswifts.org.