What is Swift Night Out?
An event to count the amazing swifts that gather in chimneys before beginning their fall migration to South America. Meet fellow bird enthusiasts. Learn about the lifestyle and habits of a bird that spends the whole day flying high in the sky eating mosquitoes and other small flying insects.
Swift Night Out 2010 Dates
All events co-sponsored by Houston Audubon and the Nature Discovery Center.
Swift Night Out 2010 Events
August 25, 2010: Swift Night Out in Sugar Land
Meet at 7:30 PM at Lakeview Elementary School. The school is located at 314 Lakeview Drive, Sugar Land, 77498. Swift numbers have been impressive! (Google Map). This event is co-sponsored by Houston Audubon, Whole Foods Market in Sugar Land and the Nature Discovery Center.
Event Report Update: August 26: Over 200 people came out
and watched over 2,100 swifts entering the chimney. It was a truly amazing event and the swifts put on an spectacular show. Special thanks to Whole Foods Market in Sugar Land for their generosity and to Lakeview Elementary School who have been so hospitable to us and to the swifts!
Swift Night Out at Lakeview Elementary School. View more photos >>
August 26, 2010: Swift Night Out in Dayton
Meet at 7:15 PM at the Rice Dryer in Dayton for special activities associated with the weekly count.
Event Report Update: August 26: We were very pleased with the turn out for our Swift Night Out last night -- we only wish the swifts would have shown up too! We only counted 37 swifts tonight. This is the third year we have counted, and both of the other years this week or next week has been the highest count totals for each year. We wonder if they might have left with the little front that passed through?
August 31, 2010: Swift Night Out at Whole Foods Market
Activities will begin at 7:15 PM at the Whole Foods Market parking lot. Whole Foods Market, located at 4004 Bellaire Blvd., is providing snacks. A group will also meet at Pershing Middle School (3838 Bluebonnet Blvd.) at about 7:15 PM.
At the end of August and early September we typically count over 500 Chimney Swifts. The event is sponsored by Houston Audubon, the Nature Discovery Center, and Whole Foods Market. (Flyer). (Press Release).
Event Report Update: August 31: We had roughly 47 folks join us and counted 930 swifts. View photos >>
September 24, 2010: Swift Night Out at St. Paul's Methodist Church
The event starts at 6:45 PM St. Paul's Methodist Church, located at 5501 Main at Binz/Bissonnet. We will meet in the large parking lot which is bounded by Binz, Fannin, San Jacinto, and Calumet.
September 26, 2010: Swift Night Out at the Nature Discovery Center
Meet at 6:45 PM in front of the Nature Discovery Center for special activities and information about Chimney Swifts just before the count. The Nature Discovery Center will provide light snacks and drinks.
There were between 100 and 150 Chimney Swifts roosting here at this time of year in 2009.
The great advantage of this site is that the Chimney Swifts fly low – right over your head and are easy to get a good look at!
Nationwide Swift Night Out
Sponsored by the Driftwood Wildlife Association, this is a nationwide event to help promote awareness of swifts. It is held annually in late summer. The procedure is very simple: find a large roost of Chimney Swifts and estimate the numbers that enter it in the evening. For more information, to report sightings, and to see a map of last year's results, visit the Swift Night Out webpage.
Tips on Counting Swifts by Paul and Georgean Kyle: When counting Chimney Swifts at roosts, the numbers can become overwhelming -- especially as the numbers continue to climb as we move
toward fall migration over the next few weeks. What we have found to work
quite well is to use an athletic lap counter. These are available at most
sporting goods stores. You can tally without taking your eyes off of the
swifts.
When the numbers of swifts are relatively low, a direct count can be made --
one click per swift. At sites where the numbers exceed several hundred (or
the entry rate is high), make one click per 10 swifts and multiply the end
number of clicks by 10 for the total. It works really well if several
counters can average their counts at the end.
