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September 1998, Volume 32, Number 1
A Message from the President Newsletter Survey Results Know Your White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys Pee Wee Audubon: Revels with Reptiles |
Visit Healdsburg's Swift RoostOn the evenings of Thursday, September 10, and Wednesday, September 16, Madrone members and friends are invited to join Peter Leveque and Connie Joachim at the remarkable Vaux's Swift roost outside Healdsburg. The roost, in a chimney at the Rio Lindo Academy, shelters many thousands of swifts during their migration stopover in September and October. Each evening the birds arrive in ever-growing numbers, one after another dropping into the roost until, shortly before dusk, the chimney seems to be inhaling a virtual funnel cloud of birds. To get the full effect of this remarkable phenomenon, plan to arrive by 6:30 PM and stay until almost dark. Connie Joachim will be on hand September 10 and Peter Leveque on the 16th, to provide more information on the swifts and their history at the roost. Visitors to the roost are guests of the Academy, a residential preparatory school operated by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Observers are encouraged to car pool, to park quietly at least a block from the chimney, and to observe from the opposite side of the facing street. Directions: From Highway 101, exit at Old Redwood Highway/Healdsburg Avenue, south of the central Healdsburg exit, and proceed north to Bailhache Avenue, just south of the Russian River bridge. Turn right on Bailhache (which becomes Rio Lindo Avenue) and follow it about 3 miles, into the Academy's main entrance. Take a left at the first stop sign, and another left just before the dormitory. In half a block, turn right toward the rear of the campus. The chimney is on a side street west of the athletic field. |
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