|
|
| » Back to Northwest home | »
Northwest Birds, pg 2 » Next section: En Route to the Gorge |
 |
|
| Osprey fledglings in nest, Lake Wallowa | |
 |
 |
| The fledgings were enjoying themselves when Mom came along -- CLICK HERE for enlarged photo | |
 |
 |
| Wallowa Lake State Park, a great place for birding | |
 |
 |
| Two views of a juvenile Bald Eagle, Wallowa Lake State Park | |
 |
 |
| Same juvenile Bald Eagle, next morning at lakeside | Mature Bald Eagle, watching over the juvenile |
 |
 |
| Different view of mature Bald Eagle | Clark's Nutcracker, Wallowa Lake State Park |
 |
 |
| Cedar Waxwing, Wallowa Lake State Park | Spotted Sandpiper, Wallowa Lake State Park |
 |
 |
| Dark-eyed Junco, Conboy Lake Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, WA | American Dipper, Lewis River, WA |
 |
 |
| Lewis' Woodpecker, Rooster Rock State Park, OR | Great Blue Heron, Sandy River, OR |
 |
 |
| Pileated Woodpecker, Rooster Rock State Park (Columbia Gorge), OR -- CLICK HERE for enlarged photo | |
 |
 |
| More views of the Pileated Woodpecker, a lifer for us | |
While camped at the Columbia Gorge, we read in the local Audubon Society newsletter about an amazing bird behavioral phenomenon. Each evening in September, thousands of Vaux's Swifts gather into a cyclonic cone and dive into the chimney of an elementary school in Portland, OR. The swifts cling to the inside of the chimney to roost overnight. At the peak, 40,000 swifts swirl in from the sky. As the sun sets, more and more swifts fly in from all directions. They circle the chimney like a giant tornado, making lots of twists and turns en masse. Finally, they start diving into the chimney, which looks like a vacuum cleaner sucking in the birds. The swifts summer in the Northwest and stop off in the Portland area before heading to Central America for the winter. This event has occurred every night in September since 1982. Well, we just had to check it out . . . . and it turned out to be a cultural phenomenon as well. Hundreds of people show up to witness the nightly event. Many bring picnic baskets, wine, etc., to enjoy the "dinner show." |
|
|
|
| The Chapman School's 60-foot chimney is the world's largest roosting place for Vaux's Swifts | |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
| Vaux's Swift specimens at the Audubon Society information table | |
 |
 |
| Checking out the Audubon Society table | Being interviewed for a student TV news show |
 |
 |
| Crowds gather on the hillside overlooking the school chimney | |
 |
 |
| Let the show begin -- CLICK HERE for enlarged photo showing thousands of swifts | |
| » Back to Northwest home | »
Northwest Birds, pg 2 » Next section: En Route to the Gorge |
SWIFT
WATCH