Hazel Dell resident Dee Gove has found herself in a swift predicament.
Gove discovered four swifts inside her home Monday near Lake Shore Elementary School. Three survived, and she released them outside — not giving much thought to how they ended up inside her home.
The following evening, around dusk, hundreds of swifts swarmed the sky above and later took shelter inside of her chimney, Gove said. The swifts now rest inside her chimney at night and take flight again at dawn.
“I’m not terribly upset about it,” Gove said. “They’re just darling little birds. I hope we’re able to protect them.”
On Wednesday night, the swifts returned and drew a crowd of neighbors and children who watched in awe, Gove said. Hundreds of swifts circled the sky before diving into the chimney.
It is a typical behavior of chimney swifts, whose long claws are suited for clinging to the walls of chimneys and other vertical surfaces, according to the Bird Alliance of Oregon.
“It was interesting to watch how many birds there were. I see why people go over to Portland to watch them, because they’re beautiful,” Gove said.
Each September, thousands of Vaux’s swifts settle in the chimney of Chapman Elementary School in Portland as they prepare for their fall migration to Central America. It is one of the largest known roosting sites of Vaux’s swifts in the world, according to Bird Alliance of Oregon.
Typically, the swifts congregate for a couple of weeks before starting their migratory journey.
The swift’s swirling at Chapman can draw a crowd of hundreds of people, and the Bird Alliance of Oregon officially made it a community event in 2009.
Swifts spend most of their lives airborne, except when roosting overnight and nesting, according to All About Birds. However, the species has seen a decline partly because chimneys have fallen into disuse across the Pacific Northwest.
Bird Alliance of Oregon said the best thing to do if swifts enter your chimney is to have patience. Swifts usually stay in a chimney for no longer than two to three weeks. Residents should wait to start a fire in their fireplace until swifts have left the nest, usually by September or October.
Gove said she has closed off her fireplace, and she looks forward to when the swifts come back at night. She plans for her son to install a chimney cap next week, but for now, she doesn’t mind the tiny, winged creatures.
Gove, whose late husband used to feed birds, said she thinks it may be a sign from him.
“They’re beautiful birds. I’m hoping that somehow it’s a good luck sign,” Gove said.
