Wildllife: Vaux's Swifts

I agree that bird watching is exciting, however, we were not expecting a crowd this large:

Of course, it was a really lovely evening, with a very pretty sunset and a view of Mt. St. Helen's. And what a pleasant thing to do with your evening. This turns out to be a pretty significant bird watching event. Every September Vaux's Swifts come by the thousands to roost in the chimney of Chapman Elementary School before they migrate for the winter.

It was impressive and neat to watch. Apparently a few years ago some predatory birds figured out this would be a nice place to grab a snack. While we watched, a falcon picked off at least two of the swifts. It happened a little too quickly to catch with my camera, but it definitely added to the excitement. The swifts will continue to perform at dusk through roughly the end of September before moving on for the winter.

Additional Reading:

West Coast Swifts
Audubon Portland Swift Watch 2011
Oregon Live: Migrating Swifts Draw a Crowd