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I know September is a busy month of birding, but we have another event coming up.If you are wondering what a "Swifts Night Out" event is, our own Paul Laurent offers this description:
Imagine you are a clump of hair tangled in the drain of a bathtub. The tub has been filled, and a rather filthy bird watcher has finally scrubbed off the day's grime. When the sun begins to set and the plug is pulled, all those little bits of dirt and soap bubbles gather in a spectacular (though tiny) whirling vortex before they vanish down the drain. Looking up at it from the floor of the tub, it actually makes a rather stunning image! Now imagine that those bits of dirt and soap are thousands of Chimney Swifts (birds that really should have been bats, but I digress...) and instead of sitting awkwardly in the bottom of a bathtub, you are perched in a parking lot watching a vortex of birds cascade into a chimney for the night. Instead of a tiny microcosm of physics and hydrology, it is a massive gathering of birds swirling across the sky before vanishing into an opening that doesn't seem capable of holding them all.
Details: The swifts begin to gather around 7:30pm. Members usually arrive by 7:30 with some arriving earlier to picnic. The swifts begin to descend into the chimney around 8:00pm and are done by 8:30pm.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Wilkesboro Elementary, 1248 School St,Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States
