Not the numbers of astounding counts of by gone years, but tonight at Sells Middle School in Dublin Ohio (161/Rt 33 just east of 270) was the best of the 2008 season. I would imagine the numbers will continue to increase for the next couple weeks. I estimated about 750 chimney swifts give or take. 20 -25 birders and now new birders enjoyed the awesome evening and spectacle. The first bird went in at 7:20pm and last went in about 8:20pmET. Between 7:20 and 8:05 pm about 40 birds went in the chimney then the stream of birds descended. From 8:05 to 8:18pm about 700 birds streamed in. From 8:18 to 8:20pm another 8 to 10 birds went in. The light by the little more than crescent moon gave a nice back light to the chimney. About 7:15pm I could see a stream of nighthawks to the south heading east. With the school building in the way, I could only see about 8 birds above the roof. Definitely a flock on the move... As with a couple nights ago, a low flying bat was chased away by a couple swifts when it entered the area where the large swift flock was tightening their counter clockwise flight pattern. Try to head out before 7:30pm and watch the large chimneys in your areas. It really is an interesting spectacle to observe. Larry & Elaine Smith of Hilliard Ohio emailed me last night to say that the activity is high at the Galena United Methodist Church. "We got a pizza and some soda and parked there in the school bus lot to the east like we were at an old timey drive-in theatre. The show was truly spectacular - the most amazing thing I have seen outdoors in a long time! I was enjoying the beauty of it too much to try getting a count, but at their peak the swift density was such that I would estimate there were many more than 1,300 birds swirling overhead! Unfortunately, we were the only people there to see it (except for occasional strolling townsfolk, probably jaded from regular exposure, who gave the birds only brief glances). It was exciting to think that the swift show was no doubt going on in Dublin simultaneously! When we arrived at 7:33 pm, there were already maybe 3-4 dozen birds in the air. After countless apparently aborted attempts, the first swift actually dropped into the chimney at 8:03 pm, and they were all inside by 8:20 pm (which happened to coincide with the time that the first katydids began calling . . . wonder if the two species are triggered by the same light intensity level??). What an amazing show - I am speechless! Something every lover of nature should witness at least once." Thanks, Darlene Sillick Powell, Ohio ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]