If you hear a weird “chippering” over your head (especially towards evening) and look up, you will likely see swallow-like birds scouring the air, gobbling up bugs. They have very stubby tails and look sooty-colored. These are Chimney Swifts, which have been described as “cigars with wings.” They certainly fly “swiftly,” with great maneuverability, and cannot perch but only cling to the insides of chimneys, hollow trees, and caves. With so many houses being renovated and chimneys being capped, I imagine the habitat for these birds is becoming more problematic. Beechwood Farms has a free program on Swifts on August 21st (for information, go to http://aswp.org/events/8038). Andrea M. noted that a Flicker was on the 800 block of North Euclid early this week. Alas!—it was literally ON North Euclid, a casualty of a passing car. The next day, I noticed a Flicker entering and exiting the hollow trunk of the Sycamore tree in front of 5802 Jackson St. I wonder if a single parent can raise a family in the bird world. Hollows in trees are very desirable nesting sites for a number of interesting birds, so I hope residents and City foresters won't be too zealous in their tree maintenance.