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Chimney swifts are gathering and preparing to make their annual migration to South America. Join other bird enthusiasts and learn about these amazing aerial insectivores.
Swift Night Out – Whole Foods Market in Bellaire
Join us and our friends from Houston Audubon for a family friendly Swift Night Out at Whole Foods Market in Bellaire. We will watch Chimney Swifts swoop and soar over our heads and count them as they enter their roost.
Day, Date & Time: Tuesday, August 19 at 7:45 pm
Program Location: Meet in the parking lot of Whole Foods Market Bellaire at 4004 Bellaire Blvd.
Registration: No registration required. This is a FREE drop-in program.
Bring: Bug spray, folding chair, a water bottle, and a snack if you’d like. Binoculars are optional because the swifts will be visible with be naked eye.
Swift Night Out – Lakeview Elementary School
Join us and our friends from Houston Audubon for a family friendly Swift Night Out at Lakeview Elementary School in Sugar Land. We will watch Chimney Swifts swoop and soar over our heads and count them as they enter their roost.
Day, Date, & Time: Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 7:45 pm
Program Location: Meet in the main parking lot at Lakeview Elementary School in Sugar Land – 314 Lakeview Drive, Sugar Land, 77498.
Bring: Bug spray, folding chair, a water bottle, and a snack if you’d like. Binoculars are optional because the swifts will be visible with be naked eye.
Nationwide Swift Night Out
Sponsored by the Driftwood Wildlife Association, this is a nationwide event to help promote awareness of swifts. It is held annually in late summer. The procedure is very simple: find a large roost of Chimney Swifts and estimate the numbers that enter it in the evening. For more information, to report sightings, and to see a map of last year’s results, visit the Swift Night Out webpage.
Tips on Counting Swifts by Paul and Georgean Kyle: When counting Chimney Swifts at roosts, the numbers can become overwhelming — especially as the numbers continue to climb as we move toward fall migration over the next few weeks. What we have found to work quite well is to use an athletic lap counter. These are available at most sporting goods stores. You can tally without taking your eyes off of the swifts.
When the numbers of swifts are relatively low, a direct count can be made — one click per swift. At sites where the numbers exceed several hundred (or the entry rate is high), make one click per 10 swifts and multiply the end number of clicks by 10 for the total. It works really well if several counters can average their counts at the end.
