2025 Umpqua Valley Swift Watch – The Swifts are BACK!!!!! And so are WE!!!

2025 Umpqua Valley Swift Watch

The Swifts are BACK!!!!!  And so are WE!!!

Fridays, September 19 and 26; beginning around 6:30 pm

Clay Place Chimney, Fir Grove Park

 Update:

Nature is so fun!  Just when we’d given up hope that the Vaux’s swifts would utilize the Clay Place chimney in Fir Grove Park during their southward migration this year, they have suddenly shown up in good numbers!

Details: 

Umpqua Valley Audubon Society members will be available at the Clay Place Chimney Friday evenings to serve as interpretive naturalists, with information and brochures about Vaux’s Swifts as well as more general information about birding and our natural world.

Throughout the migration, Audubon members will be participating in a west coast wide data collection effort. The Vaux’s Swift’s natural habitat is old growth forest habitat where they rely on large hollow snags for nesting and roosting. We know Swifts have lost much of their natural habitat and the number of chimneys available for roosting and nesting is also on the decline. Little is known about even the most basic habits of Vaux’s Swifts, to say nothing of how many there actually are. Working in conjunction with our partners up and down the west coast, we hope to fill in some of the data gaps.

Timing:

Vaux’s Swifts generally enter the chimney close to sunset, but may go in earlier or later, depending on weather conditions.  Sunset will be at 7:15 on the 19^th and at 7:02 on the 26^th.

Music:

Members of the Winds of Umpqua will be joining us most evenings.  Just like the swifts, we never know when or how many musicians will show up!  The Winds of Umpqua is a Native American style flute group, sometimes with hand drum accompaniment, with an intuitive style of play.

This event is a partnership of Umpqua Valley Audubon Society and the City of Roseburg Parks & Recreation.

For more information, contact Umpqua Valley Audubon Society at info@umpquaaudubon.org.