One never really knows what to expect when fall approaches and it’s time to watch for Chimney Swifts. Will they come to their regular chimneys? Will they come early, late? Will they be in big numbers or just small dribbles through?
This year was one of the best years for watching Chimney Swifts come in to roost that I can remember. From late August until mid-September, swifts were using the big chimney at Cherokee Heights Middle School in huge numbers—as high as 2,100 on August 28! And honestly, it never gets old to watch, especially when watching with folks who are seeing it for the first time. I was lucky to have my mom—a swift-watching newbie—in town while swifts numbers were high, and hearing her exclamations of disbelief and joy at the sight of more than 1,000 swifts funneling into the chimney was absolutely delightful.
Swifts roosting during Swift Week; September 10, 2026 (Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA).
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, along with the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and Feminist Bird Club Madison Chapter, hosted Swift Night Out and Swift Week events at Cherokee Heights Middle School from September 5–11. During the big event of Swift Night Out, we were lucky to be joined by around 600 people and over 1,100 Chimney Swifts. It made for a memorable, magical night.
As long-distance migrants, Chimney Swifts need to get from their wintering grounds in South America to their nesting sites in North America and back each year—and time it perfectly with when insects are abundant and roosts are available. While facing climate change, widespread pesticide usage, and capped chimneys, that’s no small feat.
Cool facts about Chimney Swifts:
- Chimney Swifts travel approximately 3,000 miles one way from their winter grounds to nesting grounds in the spring, and travel the same distance back in the fall each year.
- They spend approximately 90% of their lives flying, and some fly over 1,000,000 miles every single year! They mate, eat, drink, and migrate on the wing, only stopping to nest and roost at night.
- Because they travel so far, and part of their migration is over water, they are able to turn off half of their brain to sleep while continuing to fly with the other half (and then switch sides).
- In spring and fall, they roost together in large groups in big chimneys to keep each other warm and avoid predation (their chances of getting picked off by a predator are lower if there are more swifts around).
- There’s only one nest per chimney, though sometimes multiple adults help support that nest.
- Their feet are specially designed to cling, not perch—four toes in front can grip the inside of a chimney, but doesn’t allow them to just sit and look around as other birds can.
(Chimney Swift photo by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren)
The Cherokee Heights Chimney
This year, as is often the case in Madison, Chimney Swifts preferred roosting at Cherokee Heights Middle School. This building is slated to come down in 2028 as part of a school remodeling plan because it is old and expensive to run, and no longer serving the needs of the students and staff. The school district and engineers determined it’s not possible to safely keep the current chimney in place when the building comes down—BUT we are working with them to design and install a faux chimney on the new school that will be created just for the swifts! The designs are underway, with plans to mimic the current chimney as much as possible. The district has committed to including the structure as part of the new building, and our organization is fundraising for the effort. More information about that will be available soon (be sure you’re on our email list)!
Your assignment
What Chimney Swifts need most are people who can advocate for them. So if you love swifts, or even just admire their acrobatic, adorable ways of life, please tell someone about how awesome they are, and how fun it is to watch them come into roost! The more people who know about them, the more people who can help care for them and protect their habitats—those big ol’ chimneys they love to use.
2026 Swift Night Out & Swift Week
Event Tallies
Saturday, 9/5: 1,100 swifts, 600 people
Sunday, 9/6: 1,200 swifts, 175 people
Monday, 9/7: 1,100 swifts, 80 people
Tuesday, 9/8: 500+ swifts, 75 people
Wednesday, 9/9: 1,000+ swifts, 80 people
Thursday, 9/10: 1,000 swifts, 90 people
Friday, 9/11: swift count unknown (lots!), 100 people
(Cherokee Heights Middle School chimney photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA)
Written by Brenna Marsicek, director of outreach
Cover image by Caitlyn Schuchhardt. Hundreds of Madison community members seated at Cherokee Heights Middle School for Swift Night Out in September 2026.
