PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – There’s no better mark of autumn approaching in Portland than the annual roost of the famous Vaux’s Swifts. But this year, the birds have abandoned their longtime roost at Chapman Elementary for new spots, including another school in Southeast Portland—Abernethy Elementary.
Since the late 1980s, the swifts famously called the chimney at Chapman Elementary home for their massive roost. In 2023, the Bird Alliance of Oregon reached a peak count of 11,440 swifts.
According to the Bird Alliance of Oregon, some years the swifts wouldn’t head south until mid-October, as thousands of spectators would fill the school grounds to catch their evening performance…