Sunday night (10/4/98), we saw around 20,000 Vaux's Swifts swirl into a
large smokestack. The brick smokestack is located at Chapman School in NW
Portland, Oregon at 26th & Raleigh - a few blocks from Good Sam hospital.

At 6:00 PM, there wasn't one Swift in sight. But by 6:30 - 6:40 PM,
thousands of Swifts appeared from high clouds above. About 100 people with
lawn chairs, blankets, and dogs were camped on the grassy hill overlooking
the smokestack.

By 6:50, a big swirl of Swifts circled around the stack. At 6:52, a Merlin
landed on top of the smokestack. Swifts billowed up into the sky. The Merlin
peered down the chimney and hooked a Swift by one wiry foot. Someone yelled,
"That's not fair!" The Swifts chased after the Merlin (like a cluster of
gnats moving through the sky.) "Get him!" somebody yelled.

By 6:55 PM, the Swifts came back and swarmed into a twittering tornado
above the smokestack. Then they descended, into the stack - like a genie
going back into the bottle.

At 7:05 PM, the Merlin was back. Swifts scattered. The Merlin hooked another
Swift by the foot and flew away. Swifts followed. By 7:10 PM, more Swifts
assembled above the stack again. Several more small clusters of Swifts from
high clouds appeared and dove into the stack. By 7:15 PM, all Swifts were
inside the stack.

Tammy & Greg Pelletier
greg at halcyon.com