Swifty at TLE Anniversary Reading!

We were pleased to read Swifty's Big Flight to children and their parents last Sunday afternoon at Tender Loving Empire's Hawthorne store. The reading was part of TLE's 10th anniversary celebration.

These stores are awesome for gifts, Swifty is on sale at all four locations, and the TLE staff we've met are super nice, so check them out!

Swifty Picked by Struggling Reader

Last fall, we donated a dozen Swifty books to the Portland nonprofit The Shadow Project for their kids with learning challenges. Shadow packaged them nicely as Family Reading Kits, complete with mugs and hot cocoa, and today we happened to see a third grader at Abernethy Elementary School select one of the Swifty kits as a reward for focusing and working hard. He said, "I like the book. I like birds!

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Swifty is available at TLE

Tender Loving Empire's three Portland stores now sell Swifty's Big Flight! Look for the bright blue cover in the children's section at these locations:

*525 NW 23rd Avenue, 97210
*412 SW 10th, 97205
*3541 SE Hawthorne, 97214

The Audubon Society Magazine, July - August 2013

Swift Approach

Huge crowds flock to a Portland school to watch thousands of Vaux’s swifts funnel into a makeshift roost.

"...capitalism and conservation were mixing across the street. Freckle-faced Jack Clevenger, 12, had set up a table in his front yard to sell beverages, $1 cookies and brownies, and the children’s story Swifty’s BigFlight, written by his mother, Lee Jackson. In her delightful little book, Jackson describedthe sky above as “a maze of black birds, tiny crescentmoons twisting and turning alldirections in the wind.”

Read more here.

Swift Watch 2013.  

Swifty's Big Flight gets a "plug" during Swift Watch 2011

Thank you NewsChannel 8, for giving Swifty's Big Flight a little

"air" time. We appreciate it. We would like to remind our fans

that if you visit the swifts at Chapman Elementary School, please

remember to remove what you bring it. Card board boxes don't

look so great in the rain. :-)

Thank you Child's Play on NW 23rd Avenue for your Book Order!

Swifty's Big Flight is now for sale at Child's Play in Northwest Portland! Woo hoo!

It's Book Ordering Season!

As the Vaux's Swifts enjoy August in Canada, we here in their Oregon roosting spot are preparing for their return in September. We recently received an order to supply all of the New Season's Grocery Stores in the Greater Portland region with copies of "Swifty's Big Flight." Thank you New Seasons!

Food Front, Audubon Society of Portland and Umpqua Bank Host "Swifty's Big Flight" Book Raffle at Food Front Northwest Portland

A warm evening played host to about 50 people in front of Food Front's Northwest Portland, store, where Gus Henry Clevenger and Than Clevenger (aka, "Jackson" in Lee Jackson, the authors of "Swifty's Big Flight"."

It was an enjoyable event and we loved the chocolate chip oatmeal cookie balls.

Yummy.

Let's Flock Together; A Swifts Celebration

Let's Flock Together; A Swifts Celebration
Friday, September 10
Location: Food Front NW

The authors of Swifty's Big Flight will be at Food Front NW at 6pm with signed books. We'll be raffling off copies and having dessert before going to watch the Swifts at Wallace Park. Earlier, at 5pm, there will be wine and appetizers at Umpqua Bank at 23rd and Glisan. Join us!

Thank you Food Front and Audubon Society of Portland for your Book Order

Food Front Co-Operative and the Audubon Society of Portland Bookstore recently re-stocked their shelves with new orders of "Swifty's Big Flight" in anticipation of "Swift Watch 2010" at Champan Elementary School.

A donation to the Audubon Society of Portland will be made for each copy of "Swifty's Big Flight" sold during the year.

Lee Jackson

Swift Watch 2010. Vaux's Swifts Make First Appearance at Chapman 8/21/10

August 21, 2010 -- The Vaux's Swifts have returned from their summer Canadian vacation to Chapman Elementary School's chimney in Northwest Portland. Their numbers are small - about 100 birds -- these are the vanguard of the tens of thousands to follow.

Please be sure to pick up a copy of "Swifty's Big Flight" at all Food Front Food Co-Operatives, Renaissance Books Store on NW 23rd Avenue, Powell's, and all Back Yard Bird Shops. You can also pick up a copy of "Swifty's Big Flight" at the Audubon Society of Portland Bookstore on NW Cornell Road.

Lee Jackson

Sadness for Gulf Coast Birds

We will donate 100% of the profits of our children's book, Swifty's Big Flight" in the month of June to the Audubon Society, in order to help save birds injured by the BP oil spill.

It is extremely sad to see so many animals dying by slow degrees as a result of this epic disaster.

We can't do much, but we can do our small part to save these lives.

Seattle Times Takes Note of Swift Watch

Birdwatchers flock to see Portland's swifts

By The Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — The annual "Swift Watch" in northwest Portland used to be a neighborhood affair. Bird fans would gather nightly in September to watch tiny Vaux's swifts swirl and dive before roosting in the chimney at Chapman Elementary School.

Now the event has gotten so big that government has to police it.

Crowds these days often block driveways, toss their empty pizza boxes and drink, neighbors say. This year, police dispatchers have been told to call an officer assigned to the area and other officers as needed when residents complain.

"I think there's an 'event' mentality," said neighbor Hilda Welch, who has one of the best views of the bird show from her second-floor deck. "Sometimes it seems it's almost out of control. We'd like people to be a little more mindful."

At its peak, the event can feature about 25,000 birds nightly, stopping in Portland on their winter migration journey. And the aerial show can draw as many as 3,000 spectators.

"We didn't know that there were that many people congregating to watch it," said Officer Sue Abrahamson, who's on swift patrol. "This was kind of a shock."

The Audubon Society of Portland has made sure folks know about the avian event and now is trying to help manage it, handing out traffic cones to some residents so they can block off their driveways.

"In a way, we're a victim of our own success," said Steve Robertson, the Audubon Society's education director. "We want it to be an enjoyable experience, including for the neighbors. We don't want them to have a love-hate relationship with Swift Watch."

The operators of Montgomery Park, an office park four blocks away, are offering hundreds of free parking spaces.

Residents have been enjoying the show at Chapman since the swifts began visiting Portland in the mid-1990s. They say they're happy about the crackdown on the rowdies, if a little wistful about the old days.

And some of the visitors are considerate folk. Last year, a birdwatcher knocked on Kevin Tomlinson's door and asked if he could park in his driveway. Sure, Tomlinson said. The man parked his car, then knocked on the door again — to hand Tomlinson a bottle of wine.

Copyright © The Seattle Times Company

Swift Watch 2009 Video from KOIN 6 News

Thank you Audubon Society of Portland for your excellent volunteer and education work at Swift Watch 2009 in Northwest Portland. The community appreciates your hard work.

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.