Chasing chimney swifts: my summer bucket list bust

Good morning, DMV. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 20.

I spent about an hour yesterday sitting outside a pizza joint near the northern tip of D.C. I felt a little shady. Cars, cyclists and neighborhood residents passed as I stared across the street, my gaze slightly up toward the sky, between two buildings, at a chimney tucked behind a tree. It was a roost, I was told, and that spot — a few steps north of a bike rack in front of the pizzeria — was the best viewpoint to watch for the chimney swifts that lived there.

Since about late August, chimney swifts have been on my to-do list. I’ve heard from several readers about various spots to see them. I missed a watch event in Virginia earlier this month. An avid birder whom I often see in yoga told me on Oct. 1 about this roost on Georgia Ave. NW in D.C. At the time, she said, the best time to see the birds was about 7:10 p.m., but it would get earlier as the days got shorter.

I kept putting it off. And yesterday afternoon, I thought, I have to do it before they fly south for the winter. I did a quick search online: Are chimney swifts still in the D.C. area? The Internet told me they’re gone by mid- to late-October, though there may be stragglers. In a panic, I texted María-Elena Montero, president of the DC Bird Alliance, to ask her thoughts.

“Funny you ask — I just got a super sweet note from Annunciation Church, where we had our swift event (in September), and they were reporting that there were even more birds. So you might still get a good show over there,” she replied, then added, “St. Matthew’s Cathedral is the champion of the swift roosts in the DMV I think.”

So after dropping off our daughter at soccer practice, my husband and I walked to the pizzeria. I texted María-Elena: “Sun is setting. No birds here yet.”

As it got dark, my husband walked back to get my daughter. I texted María-Elena again: “None yet. Street lights just came on.”

And finally: “No birds. I’m heading home. I feel funny out this late … My birdwatching #fail. Boo.”

What say you, dear readers: Where in the DMV is the 2026 chimney swift show still on?

New on my to-do list: chimney swifts at Annunciation Catholic Church on Massachusetts Ave. NW and the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on Rhode Island Ave. NW. Though I may have to wait until next year.

Now, we wait for the winter crow-watch events. Stay tuned.

Dear readers: I consider my Daily Dose a community gratitude journal. It’s free, and I work on it solo, spending hours each day mining for story ideas, interviewing and exploring. Please consider supporting my work with a monthly or yearly donation to help make this project sustainable. Do you know anyone who would enjoy reading me? Forward this to them to help me grow. For newcomers: To subscribe, click here. And to those who already support me: I appreciate you.

Capital Weather says: Not quite as cool this morning, with sunshine continuing to rule the skies. Highs reach near 70. Read the full forecast here.

Michael Tooke, 78, sent in this screengrab from a video he shot yesterday on Capitol Hill.

“On my morning walk … saw this fellow trotting across the lawn of the Library of Congress,” he wrote in his submission.

Fall is here, and our trees are bursting in color. Share your photos of fall in the DMV here.

🦊