On Wednesday we had an adventure! I picked up Maddy from school and headed to Steve's office. He met us outside and we walked to the food carts lining the street by his work and picked up some gourmet fusion sushi. Dinner in hand, we drove the short distance (maybe 10 minutes- right in NW Portland) to Chapman Elementary School. We grabbed our blanket, dinner, binoculars and umbrellas (it was sprinkling but not too much) and headed to the hill above the school, joining the amassing crowd, ready to see the Vaux Swifts on their annual migration through Portland. The time was 5:30.
Over the next two hours we ate dinner, ran around, played on the hill (bigger kids used cardboard boxes to slide down the hill) and watched the birds coming to roost in the Chapman Elementary chimney. The "show" lasted through sunset, with the climax being thousands of birds swirling en masse in a clockwise motion to enter the chimney. The crowd watched the birds while Chapman Elementary students sold pizza, drinks, cookies and Vaux Swift T-Shirts. It was like a movie at times, the crowd oooohing and awwwwing when a falcon tried to snatch a bird-snack, and then applause at the very end once the birds entered the chimney for a good night's rest. It was an amazing sight to behold.
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| Chapman Elementary - Vaux Swifts above the chimney |
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| Swifts entering the Chimney |
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