Faye McAdams Hands and I went to the spot Gary Wiles wrote about and saw at
least 300 VAUX SWIFTS swirl into the chimney in several smaller groups
between 7:15 and 7:30 tonight (Sunday the 19th). If you go, this is the
correct house, but it has two chimneys. It is the one on the front of the
house they are using. Quite a sight!

Diane Yorgason-Quinn
Gig Harbor, WA
Avosetta at hotmail.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Wiles" <wilesharkey at yahoo.com>
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 10:33 PM
Subject: swift extravaganza in Olympia


> Hi Tweeters,
>
> Sometimes it pays to get out of your car and walk for a change. Tonight,
> while walking to the Black Hills Audubon Society meeting in Olympia, I had
> to the good fortune to watch a large flock of circling and swirling Vaux's
> Swifts descend into a neighborhood chimney to roost for the evening. The
> flock was much larger than the one that's been entertaining folks in
> Tenino for the past few weeks, with easily 500 birds present and probably
> more like 800 birds involved. The house is located near the northeast
> corner of the intersection of Capitol Way and 18th, which is a few blocks
> south of the capitol campus. I believe the address was 1712 Capitol Way.
> Most of the birds entered at about 7:20 p.m. It's well worth checking out
> tomorrow night. By the way, Bob Sundstrom pointed out on one of the
> evenings in Tenino that the swifts actually flutter downward into the
> chimney tail-first, which explains how they're able to end up clinging to
> the inner walls with their heads pointing upward.
>
> Gary Wiles
> Olympia, WA
> wilesharkey at yahoo.com