Alfred's Inspiration

Coincidentally going on with the bird theme...

Shawn's teachers is a bird fanatic and talked about an awesome sight to see in Portland. Every year, during the month of September, thousands of Vaux Swifts (aka birds) flock to an Elementary School in Portland where they fly into the chimney of the school every night at dusk. This is known to be the largest roosting spot in the world for these birds. September is almost over and we decided we had to check this out before they migrate. So, we picked up some good ol' fried chicken and headed to Portland.

We ate on the grass and waited for the show. We thought we would be one of a few other bird fans there. After a while, the grass was completely filled with people, you would think there was going to be a concert or something. Slowly birds started flying in. They circled, swooped, and flew through the sky. More and more birds came. We didn't know what to expect. Boy, were we surprised to see thousands and thousands of birds. It was amazing. I have never seen anything so spectacular. To be honest I'm not really a bird fan, but this was awesome, I think I may become one. There have been as many as 35,000 birds at a time, but this year they say there is about 15,000. These pictures don't really do it justice. That last picture wasn't taken by me, but that's what they look like when they circle before they go into the chimney, where they live. I'm still amazed they all fit in there! They even made a documentary about these birds called "On the Wing." The kids thought it was pretty cool. The boys liked the birds for the first 15 minutes, then the fun turned to some good old fashioned wrestling, naturally! "Those look like the birds in my room" - Reagan Another reason to love Portland!