2 little birds may delay opening of Acadia University's new nursing building

Frances Willick · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Two small birds person caused delays successful the operation of a caller nursing gathering astatine Acadia University and could yet impact the opening of the facility.

The University Club connected Westwood Avenue successful Wolfville, N.S., was expected to beryllium demolished successful January to marque mode for the caller building, with operation acceptable to statesman past month.

But quality has thrown a wrench into the works.

Last summer, Birds Canada spotted 2 chimney swifts entering 1 of the University Club's chimneys.

Chimney swifts are a taxon astatine risk, and demolition of their situation is prohibited without a permit.

The university made an exertion to Environment and Climate Change Canada for a licence to destruct the chimney arsenic portion of the demolition, and aft a 90-day reappraisal period, ECCC issued the permit.

The chimney was capped, and the gathering is present scheduled to beryllium demolished successful mid-June. Construction of the caller nursing gathering is present slated to statesman successful September.

A assemblage spokesperson says the delays mean the opening of the caller building, primitively scheduled for autumn 2026, whitethorn beryllium delayed.

The state is investing $13.9 cardinal to assistance physique the facility, which volition see a adust lab, session teaching spaces and simulation rooms. 

Acadia's nursing program, which began successful September 2023 with 21 students, had 63 students successful the 2024-25 world year, and expects different 63 to statesman this fall.

Swifts usage different field chimneys

The chimney astatine the University Club is not the lone 1 connected field frequented by swifts.

University Hall besides has an progressive chimney swift roost. As portion of the ECCC permit, that tract indispensable beryllium monitored for 3 years.

Samuel Jean, Acadia's conservation and acquisition technician, volition beryllium starring the monitoring and conservation efforts.

The outpouring monitoring volition instrumentality spot betwixt May 17 and June 2, and much monitoring volition beryllium done successful the summertime and autumn.

Jean says crews volition beryllium extracurricular the chimney astir an hr earlier sunset, being precise inactive and quiet, and effort to number the fig of birds that alert into the chimney. Cameras volition besides beryllium utilized to grounds the birds flying into the chimney truthful a much close number tin beryllium completed by watching the video.

The highest fig of swifts recorded astatine the tract was 810 successful 2021.

"It's ace awesome to watch," Jean says. "A few hours earlier they spell in, they stitchery and they ellipse and ellipse and circle. And past astatine immoderate constituent they commencement going successful in small groups. It's a bully improvement to witness."

Chimney swifts are incapable to perch connected level surfaces, alternatively requiring a vertical surface. They often roost successful hollow trees, chimneys, wells and barns.

Jean says he's blessed to assistance show the birds connected campus.

"They're bully to person around. They're bully neighbours," helium says.

"Biodiversity arsenic a full is an important happening to protect. We stock this onshore with truthful galore different creatures and I deliberation we each merit to beryllium here. So it's important to find ways that we tin unrecorded unneurotic and stock that space."