Swift Watch

Our homeschool group congregated at Chapman Elementary recently to see the amazing sight of thousands of Vaux's Swifts forming swirling vortexes as they descend into their chimney to roost for the night.   The Swift Watch is one of those uniquely Portland things that shouldn't be missed.  These remarkable birds come every night for the whole month of September, and plunge into the chimney at dusk in consecutive swirling vortexes, to the oohs and ahhs of the crowd.  Even very little ones will appreciate how wonderful this is and binoculars are definitely optional.  Sharp eyes can spot hawks and peregrine falcons occasionally snatching one of these little birds right out of the sky.

This year, we also checked out the film On The Wing, which is all about the Portland Swift Watch.  I highly recommend it!  If you are curious about what it looks like inside the chimney, what happens when they leave it in the morning, or want to know more about these remarkable birds, this is the movie for you. Swifts are among the fastest birds in the word, which is how they got their name.  While peregrine falcons do fly faster in a dive, a species of swift is the fastest in level flight, at 106 mph.  They live most of their lives in flight, catching insects for food, mating, and sometimes even sleeping while they fly.  They prefer to roost in snags, which are the hollowed out stumps of old-growth trees, but  can make do with chimneys.  The resident Vaux's swifts of the Pacific Northwest like to overwinter in Mexico and sometimes as far south as Central America.  Chapman Elementary was aware of the swifts, and for many years they made a decision not to heat their building until the migration was over every fall, since that would have killed the little birds in the chimney.  Finally enough money was raised for a new heating system to bypass the chimney altogether, and added a metal collar and wires to stabilize it.  The Portland Audubon Society talks in the film about their important decision to fundraise for projects such as this which help conserve nature within an urban environment.  It might have more immediate impact on more species to concentrate on natural areas outside of the city.  But  the experience of going to Swift Watch is something that helps strongly motivate large numbers of people to help preserve nature, which they are betting will have more long term impact.  For sure it's one of those quintessential Portland experiences!