Swifty's Big Flight

At certain times of the year you will find hordes of people spread around the grounds at Chapman School in Northwest Portland, sitting on blankets or in lawn chairs, enjoying various nosh and beverages, as they await the dramatic descent of the Vaux's Swifts into the chimney at the school. Now there is a book for kids that tells the story of the Swifts. Swifty's Big Flight, by Lee Jackson and illustrated by Ryan Alexander-Tanner, is now available at the store for only $7.95. In the back of the book are some facts about the Swifts, most importantly that Vaux's is pronounced "vawks," and that they roost by the hundreds and sometime thousands, huddling together, probably to conserve heat.