Welcome Backyard Bird Shops!

We recently received a significant order from our new friends at the Backyard Bird Shop!. They have seven locations in the Portland area and have been in business for a decade and a half.

The folks at Backyard Bird Shop believe that "hosting wild birds and other backyard wildlife promotes both concern for, and conservation of, those creatures." Their shops "provide the products and information necessary to transform a typical urban backyard into a habitat for birds, squirrels, bats, mason bees and other wildlife."

Swift Watch 2009 Begins

We just received an email from the Portland Audubon Society that 1,200 Swifts were counted at Chapman Elementary School in Northwest Portland last night. For more information, please visit: http://www.audubonportland.org/local-birding/swiftwatch/getting-there

Swifty's Big Flight Now Available at New Renaissance Bookshop, Northwest 23rd and Pettygrove, Portland, Oregon

We are pleased to share the news that New Renaissance Booskshop is carrying Swifty's Big Flight. We think the values on their Website accurately describes the feeling one gets when you walk into to this charming oasis at the north end of very busy NW 23rd...

NRB Vision Statement ...

Through New Renaissance we consciously attune ourselves to the Divine and manifest that vision as channels of God's Light. We nurture the spiritual awakening of truthseekers of all paths by attuning to the highest needs of our customers and ourselves, creating an uplifting environment of unconditional love and acceptance, offering spiritual teachings from East and West and providing healing products and services. Our business serves as an example reflecting the values of balance, good health and abundance to promote a holistic, spiritual and joyous lifestyle.

Swifty could not say it any better himself (if he could really talk). Thanks, Andrew!

Swifty's Big Flight Now Available at Kobos Coffee in NW Portland!

Dear Friends of Swifty's Big Flight!

Kobos Coffee on NW Vaughn in Portland is a coffee lovers paradise. We love wandering their retail store on a rainy Portland day looking for interesting and creative notions of one kind or another. We are now thrilled to see Swifty's Big Flight cheerfully propped amongst the other children's books in this cool little store.

Please stop by, have a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy a quiet moment with Swifty's Big Flight. Thanks Susan Kobos!

Swifty's Big Flight Now Available at A Children's Place Bookstore in NE Portland!

Dear Friends of Swifty!

We are thrilled to have received an order from A Children's Place Bookstore on NE Fremont in Portland. We had been receiving requests to send the book there, but we were never able to connect with them online. So, we picked up the phone one day and simply called them (duh!). They were pleased to hear from us and asked us to bring a dozen copies over right away. Really nice people. Great book store too! A perfect place for children and families. Swifty highly recommends it.

Swifty's Big Flight Now Available at the Multnomah Athletic Club Store

Dear Friends of Swifty,

Members of the Multnomah Athletic Club can now find a copy of Swifty's Big Flight in the MAC store. Thanks MAC for carrying our book!

Thank You Madrone Audubon Society, Sonoma, California!

Leaves Newsletter, Madrone Audubon Society, May 2009.

Reviewed by Mary Edith Moore

Today, Swifty is eight weeks old, and it’s time for his first big flight from the Pacific Northwest to Central America. Swifty is a Vaux’s Swift and eager to begin the long journey. Just before exiting the family hollow, Father tells Swifty to look for the biggest hollow on the edge of the forest where the “trees touch the city lights”. This is where the colony will roost for the night. Father also cautions him to lookout for hawks.

Lee keeps the reader in suspense as Swifty soars over the trees, towns, and towers. Flying is great fun and Swifty is thoroughly enjoying his adventure. But night is approaching and so is a hungry hawk. The biggest hollow at the edge of the forest cannot be found and before Swifty can find shelter—Bam!

Swifty’s Big Flight by Lee Jackson is a delightful, well-written chronicle with beautiful illustrations of a Vaux’s Swift’s first long flight. This book can be read by the average third or fourth grader or read to a younger child.

NOTE: During their fall migration in September, these tiny birds can be viewed in huge numbers when they come to roost at the chimney on the Rio Lindo Academy campus in Healdsburg CA.