Editor’s introduction: On September 7, 2012, OYBC members and advisors came along on the Columbus Audubon field trip to Indian Springs Elementary School in Clintonville for an evening of Chimney Swift watching and counting. The young birders enjoyed a dessert potluck and thrilled to the spectacle of the Chimney Swifts as the sun set.
I am a new member of OYBC and this was my first event with them. When I arrived, it was really great to meet everyone and I felt comfortable being there. The group was there to watch Chimney Swifts roost in an old school chimney.
Early on, there were only a few Swifts circling, then flying away. A guest speaker, Dick Tuttle, helped us learn all about the Chimney Swift and related species. One thing I learned is that the birds have barbs on their tails to help them cling to the chimney! Dick had samples (study skins) of the birds and a nest. Later, more and more Chimney Swifts gathered until the sky was filled with flying “cigars,” swirling and circling around the chimney. Their sound was a faint chirping. Near dark, Swifts by the handfuls dived into the chimney until at exactly 8:19 pm, there were none left in the sky. Members counted over 600 birds!
This event was awesome! It makes me want to go to all events!
Jack Roy is a member of the Central Ohio chapter of the Ohio Young Birders Club. Check out the photos from this event as well as a video of swifts circling and entering the chimney.