Vaux's Swifts at Chapman School

Vaux’s Swifts, small insect-eating birds sometimes described as “cigars with wings”, migrate south en-mass each year, roosting as they travel in hollowed trees and industrial chimneys. The Swifts travel as far South as Venezuela.

Since the mid-1990s, the Swifts have roosted each September in the chimney of Chapman School in NW Portland, Oregon. Each year hundreds of onlookers gather on the lawn of Chapman school, from about an hour before sunset to about a half hour after, to watch the Swifts gather, organize, perform aerial maneuvers, and finally funnel in a black fluttering cloud into the chimney to roost.  As many as 16,000 swifts gather in the Chimney. Onlookers often arrive with blankets and supper to complement the experience.

In 2024, the swifts showed up in early September and then abruptly disappeared. They were seen later in the month swarming down the chimney at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral in northwest Portland. The question remains: will they be back at the school next year?