September 6, 2023 3:40 a.m.

Thousands of Vaux’s Swifts are roosting nightly in a chimney at Fir Grove Park and special events are set for the next three Fridays.

A City of Roseburg release said Parks and Recreation and the Umpqua Valley Audubon Society are co-sponsoring swift watches on September 8th, 15th, and 22nd.

The public is invited to gather near Umpqua Valley Arts Clay Place, behind UVA on West Harvard Avenue by 6:30 p.m. before the birds drop into the studio’s chimney at about sunset to roost for the night.

Sunset is expected to occur at about 7:40 p.m. this Friday but will arrive closer to 7:15 p.m. by September 22nd. Audubon Society members will be out most other nights between now and the end of September.

UVAS President and Roseburg Parks and Recreation Commission member Diana Wales said there has been between 1,500 and 3,000 birds a night so far. Wales said those numbers are a little higher than normal for this time of year, but every year is different.

The release said last fall the swifts had forsaken the chimney at Fir Grove Park – where they have roosted during seasonal migrations every fall and spring for at least 50 to 60 years – for a chimney at the Douglas County Courthouse.  That chimney has been capped and the swifts are returning to Fir Grove Park. This time of year, the birds use the chimney to roost during their fall migration to Central and South America for the winter.

Friday evenings will also be used for the Umpqua Valley Migratory Bird Celebration, Staff from federal and state agencies will join with the Audubon Society to share information about the Vaux’s Swifts. Local musicians will perform Americana music, if the weather allows.

For more information, go to: https://umpquaaudubon.org/