Counting the chimney swifts next weekend

People throughout North America will be counting birds on the weekends of August 10, 11, 12, and September 7, 8, 9.

The birds will be chimney swifts and the occasion will be Swift Night Out, an annual nationwide event, started in 2001 by Paul and Georgean Kyle, of Austin, Texas.

A very small bird with a slender body and long, narrow, curved wings, the chimney swift flies rapidly with nearly constant wingbeats, often twisting side to side and banking erratically. It catches insects on the wing and flies almost constantly except when roosting.

When it roosts, it likes to cling with long claws to walls and vertical surfaces, like the inside of brick chimneys. It also uses a glue-like saliva to cement its nest to the chimney wall or rock face.

At one time, I was blessed to have a family of swifts nesting in my living room chimney. On summer evenings, I could hear the birds softly chirping before they settled in for the night. I thoroughly enjoyed their company.

Then I did a rather foolish thing and had a chimney cap installed because I was told raccoons might come down my chimney. I believe this was a big mistake, and I miss my chirping companions.

But I still have a place to go where I can see these acrobatic birds. There is a chimney swift tower located at the Patsy Glenn Refuge in Wimberley. It has been occupied for years and although I have not visited it lately, I am assured chimney swifts are there on a regular basis.

One day, I hope to remove my chimney cap and welcome the birds back. Until then, I’m glad there is a nearby place where they can be enjoyed.