Chimneys are bird hotels!

Schoolchildren gather near a fake chimney meant as a nesting structure for chimney swifts in Birmingham, Alabama. (AP)
An estimated 6,000 swifts enter a chimney. Up to 18,000 swifts have settled into their overnight home in the 35-foot chimney over the past 21 years. (AP)
People from New England to Texas are building fake chimneys to provide nesting spots for the birds. (AP)
A chimney swift, up close (AP)
A chimney swift nest surrounded by spider webs inside a fake chimney. The birds use their toes as grappling hooks to hang from rough, vertical surfaces. (AP)

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Small birds take long trips. Swifts stop to rest in chimneys.

Many big old chimneys have been torn down. So people build fake chimneys for the birds. Swifts nest and rest in them.

Read More: South American swifts migrate [my-grate] to North America for four months each year. They are called “chimney swifts.” Why? They can swoop into narrow chimneys. They stick their toes to the walls and rest. Birmingham, Alabama, has about 30 large, old chimneys. Flocks of swifts drop into them. Many new buildings don’t have chimneys. Volunteers across America build chimney birdhouses for swifts. God takes care of his creation. Even little chimney swifts! Psalm 50:11 says, “I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.”