Photo credit: Adam Jackson

Featured Story

Published Jul 18, 2026 5:00 pm

July 2026 • 2 min read

By Dani Lee Sepe

While walking through the Nutley Park System on a warm summer day, you may look up and notice an impressive animal darting and weaving in flight. These incredible fliers are almost too fast to follow as they whip around the sky. You may think to yourself, “are those bats?” Many residents have likely seen them for years without realizing what they are. With their near-constant wing-beats and sharp banking, these summer visitors are actually birds. Introducing the Chimney Swift — a fascinating little bird that spends nearly their entire day in flight.

Chimney Swifts are small, slender birds with half-moon-shaped wings that flex stiffly. Identified by their blunt head, wide but short beak, squared-off tail and tube-shaped body, they are nicknamed the “flying cigar”. They are hardly ever seen landing, but as diurnal feeders they nest at sundown, remaining hidden overnight to rest. Their feathers are dark gray-brown, but backlit against the sky they may appear to be all black, like a bat. They swoop sharply in flight in search of flying insects as they forage.

While entertaining to watch, they consume pesky insects, eating between 1,000–12,000 per night. Enjoying meals of tasty bugs such as flies, wasps, bees, whiteflies and aphids, they can be seen feeding in suburban areas, such as above Yanticaw Park. Compared to hopping American Robins, croaking Common Grackles, serenading Song Sparrows, honking Canada Geese and chirping Northern Cardinals, they instead prefer to fly above the Mud Hole rather than mingle.

They are the only Swift species in New Jersey and the Eastern U.S. According to the National Audubon Society, while they once nested in hollow trees, they now almost exclusively nest in human-made structures, even when given an easy option to choose a hollowed-out tree. Their strong yet tiny feet are uniquely adapted to gripping on walls, but as a result they are unable to stand like other birds. Despite their adaptability to declining forests and expanding towns, they are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as a vulnerable species due to habitat loss. However, keen-eyed birdwatching Nutley residents can enjoy their delightful flocks as they twitter and twist above them downtown. During their breeding season, they migrate from South America to fill the open sky above Town Hall on Chestnut Street and the surrounding neighborhoods all summer long.

One of the best parts about exploring nature is that discovering wildlife isn’t exclusive to remote national forests or nature reserves. The fun of birdwatching also includes your own community, or even your backyard. The next time you’re out walking your dog, getting in your daily steps or spending time appreciating nature, look up to see the effortless dancing performance of the Chimney Swift.

About the Project: Nutley Nature News is a family-friendly neighborhood birdwatching and nature group, and is not affiliated with the official Township of Nutley.