What is Swift Night Out?
Get ready for an amazing evening with nature's aerial acrobats! Our family-friendly Swift Night Out events on August 19 and 26 offer a unique chance to witness the incredible lives of Chimney Swifts. These remarkable birds spend nearly their entire lives on the wing, only pausing to roost or nest. They even bathe in flight, gliding down to the water's surface and smacking against it, then bouncing back up and shaking the water from their feathers as they do so. Unlike most birds, Chimney Swifts can't perch; their specialized long claws are perfectly adapted for clinging to vertical surfaces. Historically these birds nested in hollow trees, but they’ve lost much of their natural habitat to development. The birds adapted to nesting in chimneys and are now dependent on manmade structures for nesting. Look out for these energetic birds in the late afternoon and evening, foraging in small flocks high above urban and suburban areas as well as rivers, lakes, forests, and fields.
At our Swift Night Out, we’ll gather to watch these captivating birds swoop and soar over their roosts and will count them as they enter their chimney. Bring a folding chair and mosquito repellent. Binoculars are optional; you'll be able to see the swifts clearly with the naked eye as they enter the chimney.
Houston Swift Night Out 2025 Events
Ben Cvengros/Audubon Photography Awards
Pershing Middle School: Tuesday, August 19, 2025
Meet at 7:45 PM. The address is 3838 Blue Bonnet Blvd. Houston, TX 77025. Don't forget your folding chair and water! Co-sponsored by Houston Audubon and Nature Discovery Center.
Lakeview Elementary School: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Join us at 7:45 PM at Lakeview Elementary in Sugar Land for Swift Night Out. Meet in the main parking lot. The school is located at 314 Lakeview Drive, Sugar Land, 77498. Co-sponsored by Houston Audubon and Nature Discovery Center.
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Article in The Buzz Magazine with photos about the 2019 Swift Night Out events.
Nationwide Swift Night Out
A Swift Night Out is a continent-wide effort to raise awareness about and encourage interest in Chimney Swifts and Vaux's Swifts. The project was originally inspired by John Connors with the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2001, Paul and Georgean Kyle took John's suggestion and developed the program for the Driftwood Wildlife Association. It has become a favorite late summer event for professional and amateur birdwatchers alike. 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.
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.
