On September 21, 2022, the Wetlands Committee organized a field trip guided by Rich Cimino to view the unique phenomenon of the Vaux’s Swifts’ migration stop at the chimneys of McNear Brickyard. The event registered to capacity immediately. The Swifts did not disappoint, and it was mesmerizing to watch as thousands of them gracefully maneuvered themselves into the chimneys to roost for the evening. Rich later informed us that the final count of Swifts roosting that night was 20,980. He also said that it had been well over 30,000 the preceding night.
To learn about these remarkable birds, below is a link to the recording of a previous webinar presented by the Wetlands Committee in October 2020. It features Rich Cimino with both live video of him from the brickyard as the Swifts are roosting, as well as his presentation with fascinating descriptive information about their behavior and physiology.