Swift Watching at Chapman School

Enter the Swifts

 Living here for over twenty years now, I can attest that I live in a very unique city. I admit, there are many things about this city that are downright weird, or even slightly off-putting. That being said, other things that make Portland stand out are not peculiar at all, just unique: experiences that are rarely seen elsewhere. Case in point, the Voux's Swifts of Chapman School.

At dusk, the swifts begin to
descend into the chimney
 en mass, forming a living
 funnel-like cloud.

Voux's swifts are a migratory bird, similar to swallows. While in the forest, they nest in hollowed out dead trees, but any hollow object will do. And as Portland expanded in their migration pattern, they seemed to take a fondness to the chimney of an elementary school in Northwest Portland. The school went out of its way to accommodate the birds, even going so far as to leave the furnace off  until the birds left again. 

 When the furnace was converted to gas, the chimney was retained and is now used exclusively for this purpose. When you arrive for the swift watching, you can see their efforts: plates and cables of steel acting as guy-wires to prevent the chimney from collapsing.

The show begins...

Swift watching at Chapman School is a multi-facetted tradition. It is a community picnic, birdwatching, and a theatre performance somehow rolled into one. It’s unlike normal bird watching in a number of ways. It's not solitary, or quiet. No one needs to remain still lest they scare the birds, and while they help, binoculars aren't needed. Come to think of it, it's little different from an evening at the theatre. Not a show to see human's act out a well written fictional storyline, but a real story, unfolding before everyone's eyes. It's a live nature documentary, and a spectacle that is rarely seen outside of the deep old growth forests of British Columbia, far from anyone who could record the experience.

Upon arriving, the show hasn't begun yet. Swifts dart around overhead, like an orchestra warming up prior to a concert. The Audubon society has a booth set up with an exhibit depicting swifts and bats (for size comparison) as well as information about the birds, and a deeper ornithological explanation of the evening's events for those who are interested. A scope is set up aimed at the chimney where the swifts will spend the night, and people periodically approach it to get a quick look at the birds that have begun fluttering around the chimney. Some people bring lawn chairs, others sit on blankets. Many bring their dinner to eat, and those with children bring slabs of cardboard which become makeshift sleds to slide down the bare grass slopes.

Heroes and Villains...

The Audubon Society has a scope
on site to view the birds. Viewing
through the scope gets one up close
and personal with these birds.

As the sky darkens the birds sense this, and begin diving for the chimney. Small flocks approach the chimney in a swooping motion. A handful will go in, while the remainder circle around again to let those in front of them get settled. On some evenings, a hawk will fly into the school yard, seeing these small birds as a quick evening snack. People truly want to see the swifts succeed, and as a spectator, you get invested in the experience.  As if watching a drama in the outdoor theaters of old, the attendees boo the hawk as it arrives, and gasp in awe and horror as it goes in for the kill. The swifts become the heroes in this tale of survival that no doubt repeats itself day in and day out as the swifts migrate south to Mexico. The difference being that here, this daily battle is on display for hundreds of curious Portlanders. There was no hawk this evening, but the show itself never disappoints.

As the sky gets darker and darker, the birds spiral into the chimney, like seeds being poured down a funnel. Rarely do we stay until the last one is in, but by this point, it's too dark to see. As the birds huddle up inside the chimney for the night, the spectators do as well, heading for their cars with the blankets, chairs and children they brought along. But like the swifts, many will return year after year, to witness this beautiful spectacle, boo the hawk, and cheer the tiny aerobats as they travel south as their ancestors have done for generations. -KP