- This event has passed.
CANCELLED: Swift Night Out: Birmingham
October 7, 2022 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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UPDATE: Due to a lack of consistent swifts at any of our scouted Birmingham chimneys, we have decided to cancel this scheduled event. However, we will keep scouting and if we see a chimney with a “swiftnado” show, we will announce an impromptu Swift Night Out on our social media. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates!
Pre-registration is requested for planning purposes by 12 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, October 5th.
Swift Night Out is back in Birmingham! Join us downtown as we enjoy the evening with one of our favorite urban birds, the chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica). All ages and abilities welcome!
After these aerial acrobats have fledged their young and cleared out their nests, the entire North American population makes its way south to winter along the remote headwaters of the Amazon River. On their way there, they congregate in huge roosting flocks with as many as two or three thousand birds sharing a single chimney—numbers that make for a tremendous spectacle when they all pour into the tiny opening at once.
Together, we’ll wait for sunset (6:24 p.m.), watch the swifts work themselves up into their nightly “swiftnado,” and then count the number of individuals who enter the roost.
The details: Meetup will be at 6:00 p.m. CDT. Location TBD.
Binoculars are handy, but certainly not necessary, for viewing the swifts as they assemble in the skies above the chimney. You may want to bring a lawn chair. If you’re a social media user, tag us @alaudubon (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). We strongly encourage you to share your thoughts and photos with the hashtag #AlabamaSwiftWatch!
In the case of inclement weather, the event may be cancelled. You may contact the trip leader the day of the event if the weather is questionable.
Registration: To register, click on the button above. If you’re new to our online system and don’t yet have a username and password, simply click the “X” on the pop up and fill out the basic form. If you do have a login, please use it as this helps us tremendously on our end! You should receive an automated email upon registering.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible and open to all abilities.
The trip leader: Lianne Koczur will lead this trip. Feel free to email us with questions.
Love swifts? Support our efforts to build chimney swift nesting towers throughout Alabama. For more hands-on action, join our Alabama SwiftWatch program by signing up at alaudubon.org/volunteer.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Through more than seventy-five years of conservation work in one of our nation’s most ecologically rich states, Alabama Audubon has seen firsthand how diversity strengthens natural communities. We believe that the same principle applies to human communities, which is why our organization is committed to providing equitable opportunities for all Alabamians to learn about and enjoy wild birds, their habitats, and the natural world. One of the best ways to support that belief is by valuing and actively seeking to strengthen diversity among our staff, our board, and our membership. To that end, Alabama Audubon welcomes the whole of our community to our work, and strives to make our programs, classes, and events open and accessible to all.
