Swifts At Chapman Elementary School
The "Chapman swifts" are part of a migratory population of Vaux's Swifts that roost seasonally in the chimney of Chapman Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. This is North America's largest concentration of Vaux's Swifts.
Every evening from mid-August to mid-October, thousands of swifts gather in the sky over the school shortly before sunset. Count estimates of 1,700 to 35,000 swifts have been reported. Shortly after sunset, over a period of 10 to 30 minutes, they fly into the top of the brick chimney (constructed c.1925) to roost on the interior surface until they depart at sunrise. The school is on the birds' migratory route to their wintering sites in southern Central America and Venezuela.
The swifts attract several predators, such as Peregrine Falcons and Cooper's Hawks, as well as hundreds to thousands of human spectators.
Read more about this topic: Vaux's Swift
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