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 2012
All events co-sponsored by Houston Audubon and the Nature Discovery Center.

• Pershing Middle School and Whole Foods Market: August 21
  
  
• Lakeview Elementary School: September 14
  The school is located at 314 Lakeview Drive, Sugar Land, 77498. (Map).
  
  

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.