Press release from Audubon North Carolina:
One of the great spectacles of bird migration takes place on early fall evenings in the skies above North Carolina’s towns and cities, when flocks of chimney swifts swirl in flight above the skyline before funneling into their chimney roosts as it gets dark. Across the state, this spectacle continues thanks to Audubon North Carolina and our local chapters, which work with property owners to make sure chimneys remain open to swifts during fall migration.
From Wilmington to Asheville, North Carolinians have many opportunities to watch swifts this September and October at a number of Swift Night Out events hosted by Audubon and our chapters. All events are free and open to the public.
Swifts get their names from their preferred roosting sites in chimneys, where they gather in large numbers each fall before their long migration to South America. Keeping chimneys open to birds is critical for this species during nesting and migration seasons.
“Chimney swifts have declined sharply over the past half century, due in large part to the loss of safe places to roosts. We can do our part to help swifts by keeping existing chimneys open. Property owners who protect swift roosts and keep chimneys uncapped are aiding these birds on their epic journeys south for the winter and north in the spring,” said Audubon North Carolina Executive Director Andrew Hutson.
Chimney swifts, often described as “cigars with wings” because of their small, tubular profile, spend all of their daylight hours on the wing, coming down to rest only at night. Before European settlement of North America, chimney swifts nested in hollow trees. Now, they have adapted to roost in chimneys. Swifts that breed in North Carolina migrate to South America for the winter, often flying clear across the Gulf of Mexico to get there.
When: Thursday, Sept. 26, 6:45 p.m.
Where: Asheville Civic Center parking garage, 7th floor, 68 Rankin Avenue, Asheville
Who: Organized by Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society
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