Lisa Smith wrote:

"So, how about those Vaux's Swifts down in Portland? I drove down last
weekend just to see them roost in the chimney at the Chapman Elementary
School. Wow! Definitely worth the drive, indeed. Thousands and
thousands of swifts circling and swooping above--this was my first sight of
so many birds in one place before. So much motion! Funny, but watching
them for an hour brought on an almost meditative state. Has anyone else
experienced this?"

This prompts me to share a vicarious experience of the morning. An
ex-student of mine came in after having just spent a year on a fellowship
in Australia. He showed me a photo from central Australia of a part of a
flock of Budgerigars in flight that was 5 kilometers long! The birds in
the photo must have exceeded 10,000, more birds than I've ever captured in
a single photo of a shorebird flock. They were feeding on grass seeds and
waiting for the rains that were about to start. He tried his best to
estimate the numbers and came up with 2 million. It would be nice to think
there might be more budgies in Australia than in pet stores and living
rooms in America. Anyone care to estimate what the latter number might be?

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