The Chimney Swift is one of four regularly occurring species of swifts found in North America, and the most common one found east of the Rocky Mountains.  As their name implies, they are accustomed to building their nests in chimneys as well as abandoned buildings and occasionally stone wells.
      Adult Chimney Swifts are most commonly seen in flight -- usually in groups.  When soaring, their long, scythe-shaped wings span about 12.5 inches. supporting a proportionally short body with a squared-off tail. The flickering, bat-like flight when flapping is due to short, massive wing bones.  Chimney  Swifts'  flight  is accompanied by a sharp  "chippering"  or "ticking" call.
      At rest, an average 5 inch, .8 ounce adult is sooty-gray to black with the throat slightly lighter or even silvery-gray in color. Both sexes are identical in appearance.  The long wings cross by an inch or more over the tail feathers, which are tipped by pointed bristles. Both the claws and tail bristles are used to cling to rough vertical surfaces. Swifts are unable to perch or stand upright in passerine fashion.
      Chimney Swifts winter in the Amazon Basin of Peru. They arrive in the continental United States in late March and are gone by early November. Nesting begins in May, and has been known to continue into August. Chimney Swifts are usually single-brooded.
      The female normally lays three to five white eggs in a nest of twigs which are broken from the tips of tree branches, glued together with saliva and attached to a vertical surface.   Both sexes are involved in nest construction. The eggs are incubated by alternating adults for eighteen to nineteen days when they begin to hatch.  Chimney Swifts catch flying insects on the wing. Baby Chimney Swifts are fed by both parents. The feeding continues until the birds fledge from the chimney about 30 days after hatching..
      The hatchlings are pink, altricial and completely naked at birth. They have sharp claws which enable them to cling to textured surfaces.  Within a few days, black pin feathers begin to appear. The young are able to climb, and they exhibit preening behavior even before their feathers emerge.
      By the time they are eight to ten days of age, the babies' feathers begin to unfurl.  By fifteen to seventeen days of age, their eyes begin to open.
      Shortly after their eyes open, most of the flight and body feathers will be unfurled.  However, the feathers around the face and head will stay in sheath for several days -- giving the birds a "frosty-faced" appearance.
      By the time Chimney Swifts are 21 days old, they will cling tightly to the nest or chimney wall, rear back and flap their wings furiously until they are panting and out of breath.  Twenty-eight to thirty days after hatching, young Chimney Swifts will leave the safety of the chimney for their first flight.
      Once an entire brood has fledged, they will fly with their parents in slow, noisy parades around the area of the nest site.  The young will return frequently to the roost during the first few days, but may soon begin to visit other roosts in the area.
      At the end of the breeding season, the swifts' communal instincts peak prior to fall migration. They congregate in flocks of hundreds and even thousands at suitable roost sites.
Although Chimney Swifts can withstand a few early cool snaps, they will usually ride south on the first major cold-front that blows through in the fall.

      Sam Houston Park is located in the middle of downtown Houston, Texas.  Joe Kolb is taking a "swift's eye view" of this urban park.  Why?  First of all because his sky-high office provides a unique view of the site.  But more significantly, because the park is home to 9 historical buildings -- all with chimneys.
      Joe is the Senior Environmental Specialist with Enron Corp's "Wild at Work" program.  When we visited with Joe this winter, we had an opportunity to investigate the 19 chimneys.  Four were unsuitable, and 2 showed evidence of past use by Chimney Swifts.  The remaining chimneys, although suitable, were covered and therefore inaccessible to the birds.  Working with the Heritage Society, Joe is making arrangements to have the screens and caps removed to allow access to swifts.
      Each of the 15 chimneys is unique.  Once this project is completed, Sam Houston Park will become an important laboratory for studying the nesting and roosting preferences of Chimney Swifts.
Enron Corp's Sam Houston Park Project also includes plans for the construction of a wetland and the installation of Purple Martin houses.

     "We, here in Philadelphia, are privileged to have a late summer phenomenon that is nothing less than "amazing," as one awed observer put it.  Quite literally, thousands of Chimney Swifts use a school chimney as a roost in late September prior to their departure to the south.  For a number of years, some local birders and I have been trying to determine a technique for estimating their numbers; we are quite sure it ranges anywhere from 2500 to 6000, but cannot come up with an agreed upon reliable counting technique. 
      We've spoken to the school maintenance and administrative personnel, all of whom take great satisfaction and delight in the spectacle. It is a neighborhood party each night as 50-100 people come out with lawn chairs and set picnic dinners in the school parking lot to watch the final, frenzied descent into the chimney.  The last bird always disappears to a loud ring of applause.  Oh, were it so that everyone enjoyed and appreciated the birds as these folks in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia do." Ed Fingerhood, Philadelphia

     This type of fun activity is contagious and beneficial to conservation efforts.  Locate a roost in your area and create your own party!
      To count of large flocks  estimate the number of swifts that enter in one second, and time the entire event.  Simple multiplication will then give you a ball park figure of the numbers. For smaller roosts,  an athletic lap counter works really well. Editor