Funneling swifts in the dusk

Swifts funneling into the chimney at Chapman School, PDX

Confession: I’m a bit of a bird-nerd, but only sort of since I don’t really know much about them. What counts is watching them, hearing their chirping-squawking noises and their flight patterns are astonishing. How is it that they never run into each other? I’ve never seen a bird fender bender.

During the month of September Vaux Swifts use the chimney at Chapman School as a stop-over roosting spot on their annual migration to South America. The watching-event attracts thousands of Portlandia dwellers, including me. When I mentioned it to one of my sisters, she replied “Who are they?” Not a who, but a what. Here’s a peak into my night life:

Sky shows burst with glittering showers of light performing acrobatic feats against an onyx background to the ooo’s and aahh’s of the crowd below.

On a waning September evening, against a dusky background a shower of graceful, fluttering aerial acrobatics entices ooo’s and aahh’s from those gathered at Chapman School. The shoulder season stage is set for the nightly performance as thousands of Vaux’s Swifts come together in an ebb and flow, circling, twisting and vanishing, only to reemerge moments later.

Onlookers with blankets and lawn chairs and picnic dinners are mesmerized as the swifts effortlessly swoop, wind and plunge all around the tall terracotta brick chimney that will be their roost for the night.

Peregrine Falcon joins the phenomenon that seemed to go on and on with unforced exactness. You hear an audible inhale of breath at his appearance. He joins the flight pattern, sending swifts in shattered directions; fear interrupting their lovely air ballet.

Swifts are now the prey. Peregrine glides, talons outstretched as he snatches his feast; a gasp goes up, one less for the Audubon count. Peregrine departs to consume his quest. The tornado of swifts resume funneling into the safety of the old brick chimney at Chapman as the sun sinks low, disappearing behind the horizon.

Bird-nerd's night out,

Missy

ps the count for that night was 4,450 Swifts – not sure how the Audubon does it, boggles my mind!

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