Chimney Swifts Overhead

[Doug_Tipple]

For the past several evenings at dusk I have observed hundreds of chimney swifts flying in a vortex formation about a large chimney in the old mansion across the street from where I live. As the sky darkens, one by one the swifts takes turns diving down into the chimney, where they all will roost for the night. I want to know if anyone knows how they manage to dive into the darkness of the chimney, find a place to roost for the night, all without getting hurt in the process? It seems to me that once inside the chimney they would be unable to fly and would fall to the floor of the chimney, but I assume that somehow they avoid doing that and are able to cling to the side of the chimney.

[mvhplank]

For the past several evenings at dusk I have observed hundreds of chimney swifts flying in a vortex formation about a large chimney in the old mansion across the street from where I live. As the sky darkens, one by one the swifts takes turns diving down into the chimney, where they all will roost for the night. I want to know if anyone knows how they manage to dive into the darkness of the chimney, find a place to roost for the night, all without getting hurt in the process? It seems to me that once inside the chimney they would be unable to fly and would fall to the floor of the chimney, but I assume that somehow they avoid doing that and are able to cling to the side of the chimney.

Neat. We used to have them in North Alabama. Occasionally they would get kind of misplaced and end up in the fireplace.

They were much less disconcerting than the bats we'd get in the house when I lived an hour's drive away, outside of Rome, Ga.

I just heard some barred owls outside, in amongst the cicadas or whatever night bugs are singing out there.

M

[izzarina]

what is a chimney swift? I've never heard of one...I'm assuming it's a type of bird?

[s1m0n]

what is a chimney swift? I've never heard of one...I'm assuming it's a type of bird?

Swifts are a kind of swallow, so think small, fast and agile.

[Doug_Tipple]

Izzi, swifts are birds that can fly like jet airplanes, only instead of the roar you can hear a series of rapid short chips. They are common east of the Mississippi River.

To bend this thread just a little, we might consider the social behavior of swifts that commonly roost by the hundreds. As we know, some animals are solitary, and others are more social. With regard to human social organization, we might ask whether more social organization, just like the swifts, might be more practical for our long-term viability in the future?

For example, I live by myself in an apartment. I have grown accustomed to that, and it now feels comfortable to me. However, in my past I have had experiences with communal living. As the population increases, along with energy costs, other forms of social organization might be more practical than what we are experiencing now with our individualism. Sharing resources and living more communally might be the answer to many of the looming problems that now confront us.

[jen f]

When my husband was a teenager, some chimney swifts decided to funnel down the chimney while the family was on vacation; problem was, they had left the flue open! My husband was the first one home. He saw a bird or two in the living room, then a few more in the kitchen; he decided NOT to look upstairs but waited in his parents' bedroom for them to come home. When his parents got home, his dad went upstairs, came down and said "it's a good thing you didn't go upstairs," and called the fire department (who are you supposed to call when birds invade your house?). The firemen proceeded to carry the sleeping birds outside by handfuls. They stopped counting somewhere around 200. The family had to stay in a hotel for several days while the resulting mess was cleaned up. My husband actually turned in a paper with bird poop on it!

[djm]

how they manage to dive into the darkness of the chimney, find a place to roost for the night, all without getting hurt in the process

They use radar, I think. Not that its natural to them or anything. Not like bats. They have to rent out ... or order in ... whatever you call it. And its night work, so there's union rates to contend with. I'm not sure if they have ever stopped to investigate the true costs to determine if night flying is really worth it.

djm

[Jack]

They also live under bridges, and sleep on the undersides.

I wonder where they lived before people built chimneys and bridges?

[izzarina]

what is a chimney swift? I've never heard of one...I'm assuming it's a type of bird?

Swifts are a kind of swallow, so think small, fast and agile.

Once it is dusk, there are swallow type birds that seem to come out in abundance. They fly by very fast, way up over the trees, making these chirping noises. I love to watch them because it always seems like joy they are expressing as they fly. I wonder if they are the same type of birds.

[brianormond]

-Sometimes you can hear the buzz of their feathers & agitated slipstream as they zoom past at warp speed.

[Cynth]

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/BOW/CHISWI/

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

Cool fact: Chimney Swifts perform an aerial courtship display by holding their wings stiffly upward in a V, one bird gliding closely after another, their chirping calls run together as a twittering song. Occasionally a third or fourth swift joins in pursuit.

As a group, swifts are highly specialized for high-speed aerial life. They have long, saberlike wings that are either extended in flight or folded back when at rest; unlike swallows, they are never held bent at the joints. Compared to swallows, swifts are less maneuverable and are less adept in flight at low speeds. Swifts forage for flying insects, sometimes quite high in the sky, and drink by dipping their bills in water while flying. Some species are even thought to sleep while flying in "aerial roosts," and it is also believed that Chimney Swifts can copulate in flight.

Chimney Swifts are widespread and common throughout North America east of the Rocky Mountains. On occasion, some have bred in Southern California and possibly in Arizona. Large flocks gather in the fall and roost in chimneys, sometimes by the hundreds or even thousands. The majority departs the breeding grounds in late August or September to begin the long migration south. Flying by day, they cross the Gulf of Mexico and travel through Central America to winter along river edges and the edges of tropical lowland forest in Amazonian Peru.

As forests with large hollow trees have disappeared, Chimney Swifts have readily taken to nesting in chimneys, and populations probably increased with the proliferation of suitable nesting sites. In recent decades, however, populations have declined at a rate of almost six percent per year. Chimneys provide upright surfaces sheltered from the weather much like hollow trees, and other sites that have been used for nesting include wells, silos, and the insides of abandoned or seldom-used buildings. The nest is a half-saucer composed of dead twigs plucked in flight with the feet, glued together and adhered to the chimney side with the swifts' hardened saliva. Chimney Swifts use their long, sharp claws to cling to the sides of chimneys.

Description: Chimney Swifts have been described as a "cigar with wings." They have streamlined bodies with stubby, blunt tails and short, wide bills. They are uniform gray-brown above; the underparts are dark brown from midbreast to the tail, and the throat is light gray gradually darkening toward the breast. The long, slender wings are black-brown, with slightly lighter flight feathers. The tail is dark gray-brown, but little of it shows except when it is spread. Each tail feather ends in a spine that extends past the web.

[Doug_Tipple]

I have noticed on several occasions that when a nighthawk, also feeding on insects, flew into the circular airspace where the chimney swifts were flying, the smaller swifts sent out a combat patrol to chase away the intruder.

My questions this evening has to do with circular motion. If this has been discussed on the C & F forum before, I apologize. I notice that the flight of the swifts in their vortex flight path is always counter-clockwise. This also seems to be the preferred direction of travel for most human activity as well. Think of track events, such as running and race car driving, for example. What about merry-go-rounds? Has anyone ever seen a merry-go-round turn in a clockwise direction? Does any of this have anything to do with earth forces, such as the Coriolis force?

Do I infer from the last post that swifts can fly, mate, and sleep all at the same time? That would be nice if you could do it.

[Cynth]

But Doug, if you were asleep could you really enjoy it? I think chimney swifts can sleep in flight and they can mate in flight, but I don't think they can mate while asleep. Just my take on the info.

I know there has been some discussion about the direction water drains in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. I don't know about birds, but I don't think (just my guess) that human activity is governed by that Coriolis force. I never noticed most human things go counter-clockwise. I would tend to want to go clockwise myself, if I were, say, going on a walk around the block and I thought it might have to do with the fact that I am right-handed. But if everyone else is going counter-clockwise that theory would not work, since most people are right-handed. The one merry-go-round I remember did go counter-clockwise. Hmm, this is an interesting question.

Nighthawks are so wonderful. For a long time, I would hear what sounded like an electrical sound at a certain time in the evening. I just could not figure out what it was and I asked many people. Someone finally told me it must be nighthawks. Last year for the first time I saw a couple directly overhead. They dived, I heard the sound, but they were so fast that I literally could not see them over my head until they were back up in the sky. I sure wish I could see a vortex of chimney swifts. Our chimneys have screens on them to keep squirrels out, so I guess they won't be coming down our chimney.

[Jerry Freeman]

I used to watch them in the evenings with my father. You would hear a chirp and then the bird would suddenly dart up or down, right or left. It was clear that the bird was tracking its flying insect prey by sonar.

"Counter clockwise, Red Eagle. Always counter clockwise."

Ten points to the first person who identifies the source of that quote.

Best wishes,
Jerry

[spittin_in_the_wind]

I have noticed on several occasions that when a nighthawk, also feeding on insects, flew into the circular airspace where the chimney swifts were flying, the smaller swifts sent out a combat patrol to chase away the intruder.

My questions this evening has to do with circular motion. If this has been discussed on the C & F forum before, I apologize. I notice that the flight of the swifts in their vortex flight path is always counter-clockwise. This also seems to be the preferred direction of travel for most human activity as well. Think of track events, such as running and race car driving, for example. What about merry-go-rounds? Has anyone ever seen a merry-go-round turn in a clockwise direction? Does any of this have anything to do with earth forces, such as the Coriolis force?

Do I infer from the last post that swifts can fly, mate, and sleep all at the same time? That would be nice if you could do it.

Horses also, when worked on a circle, tend to prefer counter-clockwise. This is with or without a rider. Compound this with humans's tendency to prefer left, and you can see that going right is a bit of a challenge!

Robin