Monroe Swift Night Out 2012 was held Saturday, September 15th.
But there’s more to see! For several weeks in both the spring (April and May) and fall (September and October) you can witness an amazing natural event occurring in our community, and watch thousands of these birds swirl into a 40-ft chimney in just minutes!
Time:
Around sunset – see the chart below.
Location:
Frank Wagner Elementary School
639 W Main St, Monroe, WA 98272
Old Town Monroe on Main Street, between Kelsey St. and Dickinson Rd.
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions:
When should I arrive?
The swifts begin gathering in the sky above the school in large numbers an hour or more before sunset. Often, closer to sunset, the swifts begin circling directly above the school chimney in a large flock before dropping in huge numbers into the chimney. They often start to enter the chimney a half-hour to an hour before sunset. If there are extraordinary numbers of swifts, they will start entering the chimney even earlier in order to get all of them in by sunset. See below for sunset chart.
How many swifts will there be?
At the peak of the fall migration, thousands are expected. On September 7, during the 2011 fall migration, 26,552 Vaux’s Swifts were observed flying into the Frank Wagner Elementary School chimney. The Fall Migration is usually much larger than the spring migration because young swifts migrate with their parents then.
How long will they be in Monroe?
Probably until the end of September or even early October but in much lower numbers by then. The best viewing is expected to be in the first weeks of September.
Monroe Sunset Chart
September 2011 (each year this will be about the same)
Date Sunset Date Sunset
1 – 7:52 16 – 7:22
2 – 7:50 17 – 7:20
3 – 7:48 18 – 7:18
4 – 7:46 19 – 7:16
5 – 7:44 20 – 7:14
6 – 7:42 21 – 7:12
7 – 7:40 22 – 7:10
8 – 7:38 23 – 7:08
9 – 7:36 24 – 7:06
10 – 7:34 25 – 7:03
11 – 7:32 26 – 7:01
12 – 7:30 27 – 6:59
13 – 7:28 28 – 6:57
14 – 7:26 29 – 6:55
15 – 7:24 30 – 6:53
*For other months go to: www.sunrisesunset.com