Night Falls Swiftly
Every autumn, as surely as the swallows return to Capistrano, thousands of chimney swifts come to roost near sunset in a huge old chimney in the Hampden section of Baltimore City. Birders with the Baltimore Bird Club have tracked the flock for years—this urban site is one of the top ten for chimney swifts in the Eastern U.S. The story of how these birds have abandoned forest for human-built chimneys in a matter of a century or two remains a puzzle of the natural world.

Related Links
Baltimore Bird Club
Guide trips to see spring and fall migrations and Swift Night Out.
www.BaltimoreBirdClub.org
Driftwood Wildlife Association
LiveCam: Chimney swifts nesting in spring, and roosting during fall migration
www.concentric.net/~Dwa
Maryland Ornithological Society
www.MDBirds.org

A Leg Up
For some people with disabilities, life's difficulties are magnified by their inability to enjoy nature's beauty. In Howard County, however, a stable of very special horses stand at the ready to offer these individual improved health and happiness.

Billfisher's Heaven
The White Marlin is considered by anglers as one of the top game fish in the world. Fishing for the billfish brings millions of dollars in tourism revenue to Maryland alone...but that could change. Researchers have warned that the White Marlin may soon be listed as a Threatened Species. Scientists have learned that the numbers of the fish have dropped. Now, the DNR sets out on a day-long expedition to the Gulf Stream waters of the Baltimore Canyon 70 miles each of Ocean City at the height of the Marlin season. Their mission: to see for themselves just how prevalent White Marlins are.