Hi Birders:
The Vaux's Swifts are migrating. Soon they may be roosting in a chimney near you. This is a phenomenom that happens here in the fall with the counts reaching a peak in early September. The following message is from the group that keeps track of the Vaux's and Chimney Swift migration in the U.S. Their website has fascinating information, including the very-high counts that the Chapman School gets in Portland, OR.
The site below has good information about swifts, and allows folks to make counts of swifts entering chimneys (or hollow trees) the weekend after Labor Day. When the big weekend comes on Sept 10, 11, and 12th you can get online and see what numbers everyone else is getting. Quite interesting.
Yours, Carol Schulz
DesMoines, WA
mailto:linusq at att.net

----- Original Message -----
From: Paul D and Georgean Z. Kyle
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 2:17 PM
Subject: A Swift Night Out 2004


Greetings,

As the nesting season for Chimney Swifts draws to a close, these aerial acrobats begin to gather in large communal roosts. For several years now we have been hosting A Swift Night Out in an effort to increase awareness about the plight of Chimney Swifts. The event involves locating a Chimney Swift or Vaux's Swift roost in your community, arriving at dusk on the evening of the event and counting the swifts as they enter the roost for the night. Results that are reported back to us will then be placed on our web site on a locator map.

In 2004, we will once again have two Swifts Nights Out to accommodate our more northern contributors. The first event will be on August 13, 14 and 15. This is a little early for many USA roosts, but it can be a great scouting event in preparation of the final event in September. The main event will be held the weekend after Labor Day: September 10, 11 and 12. For more information and to see the results from previous year's events, please visit our web site at
www.chimneyswifts.org and click on the link to A Swift Night Out. Or you can go directly to the results page at
http://www.concentric.net/%7edwa/page74.html

Please forward this email to conservation and birding groups in your area, and help us make this year's event the best ever.

Thanks!

Paul and Georgean


--
Paul D. and Georgean Z. Kyle
Driftwood Wildlife Association
1206 West 38th, Suite 1105
Austin, TX 78705
phone / fax (512) 266-3861
Visit our web site: www.chimneysiwfts.org