When Swifts attack.
Be very afraid.
Southern California-The Mary Mohser residence-April 26, 1960. Vaux's
Swifts pick her chimney to roost. Then disaster.

"150 individuals poured into the living room, causing pandemonium as
they dashed from one side of the room to the other and entered every
room or closet wherever a door or passageway chanced to be open.... One
became entangled in Mrs. Mosher's hair.... The most revolting damage
was done by the viscid excrement the birds deposited on the carpets,
furniture, art works, bed spreads, pillows, books, etc. Matters became
so serious by 8:00 PM that the police were called, and four of the
neighbors responded in the battle with the swifts. The birds, stunned
by the impact of striking the walls, were scooped up with dust pans and
shovels and carried outside in baskets covered with bath towels. Mrs.
Mosher observed from the terrace, however, that a number of revived
individuals flew back into the chimney, while others dashed against the
windows in an apparent effort to get back inside the house.

In desperation a fire was lit in the fireplace to prevent further
invasion. A number of birds were burned and their bodies dropped to the
bottom of the fire pit. One bird, its plumage ablaze, dashed from the
pit and nearly started a fire before it was swept down with a broom
from an inflammable drapery."

Larry Schwitters
Issaquah
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/enriched
Size: 1508 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20050922/b9d58ed0/attachment.bin