Anna, Chimney Swifts don't occur here, but Vaux's Swifts are fairly common
throughout the wooded regions of Washington, including my neighborhood in
Maple Leaf as well as others around Seattle. You can see them drinking
from the ponds on Montlake Fill at the edge of campus during the summer.
They nest in chimneys in quite a few but far from all cities and towns,
perhaps something each local population has to learn about.

An interesting project would be to develop a birdbathouse that could be
occupied by bats by day and swifts by night. Another Project to Cut
Spending and Reduce the Deficit! It would also be interesting to know what
boxes would attract Vaux's Swifts but not House Sparrows.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone: (206) 756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax: (206) 756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail: dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416