SWIFT NIGHT OUT

FAMILY FUN Swift NIGHT OUT

Once you have experienced the magic of the Vaux’s swifts, it is easy to see why the city of Monroe proclaimed the graceful avian as its official city bird.

In a phenomenon that is truly unique to Monroe, thousands of Vaux’s swifts travel through the city every year during their spring and fall migrations, which take them from Canada to Mexico to Venezuela and back again. Vaux’s— rhymes with foxes—swifts are the smallest of the swifts, a species of migratory bird that travels in large clusters. The gentle 4-to 5-inch winged creatures resemble swallows, but are most closely related to hummingbirds. Swifts have an uncommon wing formation, and unlike most birds, their foot structure prevents them from perching on things likes wires or tree branches.

This means that swifts require special accommodations for any desired periods of repose, preferring to cling to the sides of roughly-barked trees or old brick chimneys. Fortunately, the historic chimney at Monroe’s Wagner Center provides the swifts with the perfect nighttime roosting site.

The birds are celebrated every fall during a community

event called Swift Night Out, which welcomes Monroe residents and guests from all over Snohomish and King counties and beyond.

As Swift Night Out attendees soon discover, there is nothing quite like watching the swifts perform their evening waltz above the Wagner chimney. As the afternoon skies deepen with dusk’s impending descent, the birds begin to circle the chimney in a graceful swell of flight. They whisper as they soar, in an ever-so-dainty twittering that would charm even the most cantankerous old soul. They swirl repeatedly, patiently mesmerizing their observers with their unforgettable, melodic dance.

As dusk falls, the birds inexplicably begin to heed the silent call that compels them to interrupt their enchanting journey across the skies. Bird by bird, they drop into the chimney—tail first—where they huddle together overnight, safe, warm and dry.

With each balletic swirl, fewer and fewer birds linger in the evening sky, as if flirting playfully with the idea that they’ll soon be tucked away for the night. The final swift almost always seems to delay its own retreat with an impromptu trip or two around the chimney, reminiscent of a wistful child who doesn’t want the summer day to end.

The crowd cheers the bird’s gleeful obstinance, always happy for an excuse to continue watching.

Held every September, Swift Night Out is coordinated by the Pilchuck Audubon Society and swift advocacy groups Vaux’s Happening and Monroe Swift Watch, with support from the Monroe School District, the city of Monroe, the Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and other Monroe organizations. The family-friendly event includes a spaghetti dinner, educational exhibits about swifts and other birds, activities for kids, and a lecture by expert swift researcher, Larry Schwitters.

And of course, the stars of the show: the Vaux’s swifts.

In addition to celebrating the Vaux’s swifts, officially proclaimed as the Monroe city bird in August of 2016, Swift Night Out honors and recognizes all that was done to save and protect the birds’ habitat. Owned by the Monroe School District, the Wagner Center features a community auditorium known as the Wagner Performing Arts Center, which is attached to the former Frank Wagner Elementary School.

Built in the late 1930s, the facility still houses Monroe students today.

In 2007, the school district deemed the aging 4-foot by 4-foot, 31-foot brick chimney as unsafe. And since it was believed that the swifts no longer used the

Photo by Chris Hendrickson

chimney as a roosting site, it was slated for demolition. Luckily for the swifts, the Pilchuck Audubon Society caught wind of the district’s plans, and promptly went to work to save the structure.

It recruited retired school teacher and swift expert Larry Schwitters, who launched his project, Vaux’s Happening, to study whether the birds still used the chimney. Schwitters quickly determined that the Vaux’s swifts were indeed still using the chimney, in both their spring and fall migrations, and that the Wagner chimney is one of North America’s most significant communal migratory swift roosting sites.

Swift Night Out was established in 2008 to raise awareness of the birds and tell their story.

Swift Night Out Event: Saturday, September 8, 2018 Location: The Wagner Center, located at 639 West Main St., Monroe, Washington 98272 Food: Spaghetti and freshly baked apple crisp available for a donation Event Hours: 4:00 p.m.–dark Parking: Free parking is available at Monroe City Hall and along West Main Street in Monroe Additional information: www.vauxhappening.org

Audubon society members formed a Monroe Vaux’s swifts committee, becoming ambassadors for the delicate birds as they sought funding to perform seismic upgrades on the chimney. They approached the Washington State Legislature and other nonprofit groups, wholeheartedly championing the cause. Thanks in part to Schwitters’ meticulous research and advocacy, the group’s efforts were successful, and it was able to secure $115,000 in grant funding to pay for earthquake retrofitting. A portion of that money funded live webcam equipment, so that Schwitters and other researchers and swift enthusiasts could observe the birds as they cozied up together inside the chimney.

Anyone can view the live feed, which Schwitters features on his Vaux’s Happening website.

Many fun details have been discovered about the swifts, including the

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fact that they don’t like the rain. A glimpse at the camera’s live feed on a gloomy, wet September morning might reveal hundreds of the petite birds clinging to the side of the chimney as they wait out the storm.

The wee birds don’t like to be wet, Schwitters said.

Since proclaiming the Vaux’s swift as the official city bird, Monroe has sought to further embrace the engaging birds through a piece of public art positioned in the heart of Monroe’s downtown core. Designed and crafted by local Soul in Bronze sculptor Kevin Pettelle, the “Wagner Swifts” features a rendition of the Wagner chimney with a graceful column of swifts forged out of brushed stainless steel.

The Downtown Monroe Association (DMA), a nonprofit group dedicated to the enhancement of Monroe’s historic downtown, has furthered the momentum of the official city bird. It is currently raising funds to put towards the expansion of the sculpture, which will increase its height and impact.

They’ve created an interactive program called “The Swift Quest,” which invites community members and guests to discover a series of 25 swifts that will adorn the city’s downtown core in various locations. They hope to have the Swift Quest program fully implemented in Summer of 2018.

Watching the swirling swifts form their winged vortex before cloaking themselves inside the Wagner chimney is a truly oneof-a-kind experience enjoyed by all who attend. Bring your lawn chairs and your blankets, and settle in for an educational evening sure to delight and inspire!

“Watching these tiny swifts assemble and eventually dive into their chimney roost is a dramatic natural spectacle one will want to see again and again,” said Larry Schwitters. “Perhaps more impressive, our inside camera has revealed their amazing ability to huddle together all night long, sharing body heat, but never fighting.”

Whether there are thousands of birds or just a few hundred, Swift Night Out is always a breathtaking experience. The city of Monroe welcomes you to come and get acquainted with its official city bird!