Field Guide: Talking Swifties

I recently met a friend on the back patio of The Old North Bar (aka Accordion Club 2.0—the new ownership has done good work with the spot!) to watch a mass of chimney swifts circle a nearby smokestack. 

I’d been talking on the phone to my mom as I walked over, describing early fall swift-watching as a kind of local phenomenon. Right on schedule, I spotted a friend’s parents walking ahead of me. They said they were on the way to a friend’s rooftop, then asked: “Are you out here for the swifts, too?” When I got to the bar, I sat down next to a couple holding beers and binoculars. 

Anyway, this very analog experience is captured by writer Halle Vazquez in a piece republished from our friends at 9th Street Journal. Read her swift-watching report here, revisit a cool story from last year about UNC’s Davie Poplar making for a rare swift roost, and read about an urban bird-identification project here.

By the way: fall migration season is September 10 through November 30. Durham, Chapel Hill, and Raleigh all have lights-out policies to help birds make their journey safer. (This is a reminder to me and the garage light I always forget about.) Do it for the birds!

More stories below. Thanks for reading!

Burning Coal Theatre is staging a special 10-reading series, spanning 10 months, of My Name Is Rachel Corrie, a play about the young American activist who was run over by a bulldozer operated by the Israeli army in 2003 as she stood in front of a Palestinian home, trying to protect it. I spoke with Burning Coal’s artistic director, as well as the play’s director, to learn more about this powerful staging. 

In other theater news, Chloe Courtney-Bohl wrote about Dancing Man Productions, a new company for people aged 55+, and their current production of Guys and Dolls. 

Here’s a piece republished from The Assembly on how social districts are (or aren’t) offering a boost to downtowns across North Carolina. (Have you ever walked around downtown with a drink? It’s kind of nice.) 

Here are some ideas of things to do this week. 

And, ICYMI: Talking to interdisciplinary artist John Felix Arnold III. Behind the scenes at a new wine bar. Viv & Riley have a new collaboration. Southern families, fallen angels, and the perils of cynicism.

The Durham History Museum has an upcoming exhibit on the history of RTP. The Nasher Sculpture Garden opens next week. The Chicken Hut is getting a historical landmark status. (For a refresher on some of the things that make this restaurant special, here’s what it was doing during the difficult early days of the pandemic.) It’s State Fair season: here are some new novelty food items on offer. 

— Sarah Edwards —
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