People in Houston are gathering at sunset to watch chimney swifts circle into a school chimney at Pershing Middle School. The sight is easy to miss if you do not know when or where to look. About four dozen people showed up for Swift Night Out on Monday evening. Before the birds went in, attendees guessed how many would appear, and the closest guess won a prize. This time, 605 chimney swifts funneled into the chimney as daylight faded. Pam Smolen said, “There’s a little bit of an art to this.” Birds Houston, formerly Houston Audubon, has hosted Swift Night Out events for roughly 18 years. The group says chimney swift populations have fallen by more than 70 percent since the 1960s. Swifts once nested in hollow trees and now also use brick chimneys and other human-built structures. Pershing’s chimney was saved when the old campus was demolished and the stack was preserved in the new school. Houston homeowners with suitable masonry chimneys can help by leaving them uncapped and keeping the damper closed. Birds Houston’s next Swift Night Out is scheduled for Sept. 30 at Rice University.
