Swift Watch 2023: Peak migration nights could be earlier this year
In recent years, the Portland Audubon has recorded as many as 10,000 swifts on a peak night.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Portland’s annual Swift Watch — no, not Taylor — has already commenced, with experts saying the birds have gathered in bigger numbers than typically expected at this time of the year.
Throughout September, thousands of Vaux’s Swifts flock to the chimney at Northwest Portland's Chapman Elementary School to roost for the night. The school is one of the largest-known roosting sites for the birds, and has been since the ‘80s.
After arriving in Oregon in late April each year, the swifts begin migrating back to Central America in the late summer or beginning of fall.
Portland Audubon Assistant Director of Statewide Conservation Joe Liebezeit asserted it isn’t unusual for the birds to begin migrating in August, but the environmental organization has already recorded 2,000 birds during some early stages of Swift Watch.
Liebezeit said there could be multiple factors affecting the swifts’ behavior, including weather conditions and the number of insects — and Multnomah County previously reported a surge in mosquitoes due to Portland’s earlier-than-usual summer temperatures.
“More and more we're concerned about the increase in temperatures and dry conditions that could be affecting them,” Liebezit told KOIN 6. “They could also be affected by the numbers of insects because when they migrate, they migrate during the day, and they roost in the chimneys at night. So during the day as they migrate, they're foraging along the way for insects that are in the air.”
In addition, Liebezit said swifts previously roosted in hollowed-out trees, but made the switch to human-made structures — like Chapman Elementary’s chimney — due to logging.
In recent years, the Portland Audubon has recorded as many as 10,000 swifts on a peak night.
Anyone who wants to see them at their peak is advised to visit the school during the second or third week of September, about an hour before sunset.