For three decades, Vaux’s swifts have returned to Chapman Elementary School, making the Northwest Portland spot their designated roost and offering their nightly swirling performance for thousands of onlookers below.
This year, the chimney stands empty. The show, it seems, has moved on from Chapman – at least for now.
While the swifts have abandoned their most well-known stage, it looks like the birds haven’t completely flown the coop from Portland. Instead, they’ve begun giving aerial pop-up performances across the city this fall…