Luther Jackson Middle School, near the intersection of Arlington Blvd. (US
Rt. 50) and Gallows Rd., remains my favorite - reinforced by the large
gathering
of chimney swifts roosting there last night.
Despite a crowded parking lot (both soccer games on the adjacent playing
field and a well-attended apparent PTA meeting at the school) we had a splendid
spot to watch the swifts begin circling the old chimney stack about 7:30-7:45.
Only a few at first, by 8 PM there were hundreds swirling. It never fails to
amaze me that at an apparent hidden signal a few birds, and then more and more
of them begin to descend into the chimney. By the time it was too dark to
discriminate between birds and the eastern sky behind the stack, they were
funneling in with that strange "reverse smoke" effect.
It's not near Mt. Vernon or Alexandria, but it's worth the drive.
Leni Friedman
Arlington
