Spreadsheet with count data and graphs for the Pershing/Whole Foods Market/St. Paul's and Dayton Swift Counts, 2007-2009

Spring-Summer 2010 Counts: We will resume swifts counts in mid-March 2010. Spring counts will probably be held on Tuesday nights.

October 2009 Wrap-up: We saw no Chimney Swifts on October 22 when we checked the old rice dryer in Dayton. They left the same week last year. Guess we are finished until next spring. On October 15 we counted 166 Chimney Swifts as they went to roost in the old rice dryer on the corner of FM 1960 and SH 321, just north of the railroad tracks in Dayton. Two folks counted 178 Chimney Swifts on October 8 as they went to roost in the old rice dryer in Dayton. We wonder if they may be gone with the front that is suppose to pass through here tomorrow night? Again on 10/8 only 1 went in hole #1, 4 went in hole #2 and 173 went in hole #3. Last fall the last Thursday we had swifts to count was Oct. 16. On October 1 five of us counted 123 swifts as they went to roost.

Of interest is that there are now 3 holes where they go in. The #1 hole was the original roost hole. When Ike came through last year it knocked off two other vent covers and we have had to watch all three entrance holes this year. The #1 hole had the vast majority of swifts all summer with the #2 hole having a few and the #3 hole usually between 10-20 swifts. The last couple of weeks the #3 hole is where most of the action is. Last night the #1 hole only had 2 swifts enter it, the #2 hole had 6 and the #3 hole had 48 swifts go in it.

Background: We hope to count Chimney Swifts at the old American Rice Growers Association rice dryer in Dayton weekly throughout the season and welcome anyone who would like to join us. We meet in the parking lot of the rice dryer (across the street from the bank). Bring binoculars and a lawn chair.

--Barbara Tilton