For the Swifts
MARION TWP — A young man is working to save a species of bird for his Eagle Scout project.
Joseph Hamilton III, a Boy Scout with Troop 31 out of West Sunbury and Concord Presbyterian Church, is building a chimney swift tower in the Marion Township Park at 2373 West Sunbury Road.
Joseph said chimney swift numbers are dwindling.
“Chimney swifts are a unique type of bird. They can't perch like a normal bird would, like on a tree branch or anything. They have to perch vertically, kind of like a woodpecker,” he said.
The Audubon Society has information about the chimney swift on its website.
The chimney swift spends the majority of its life in the air, but when it does roost, usually for breeding, they like chimneys for their protection, warmth and gripability.
“Now chimneys, at least old chimneys, are going out of style,” Joseph said. “Either people aren't using chimneys or they're putting covers on top of them.”
Joseph said the purpose of his chimney tower, which is essentially plywood formed into a long, slender and upright box, is to create an artificial place for the chimney swifts to stay.Joseph Hamilton Jr., Joseph III's father, assisted his son with the project.“Instead of having the grooves vertically like how you would on your wall, you'd put them sideways so that gives them a little bit of a lip to build their nest on,” he said.Joseph III said the project is about halfway complete. He said the actual tower is upright and usable by the birds.The second half of the project will be to build educational panels, as requested from one of the project's sponsors, the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.“This is in a public park, so there will definitely be people who can see the tower and then read panels to find out what it's about,” Joseph said.
He said the society has promised to cover the majority of the project's cost with Marion Township covering the remainder.Hamilton Jr. said the hardest part for him as a father was stepping back and letting his son handle everything. He was there for support and to observe, but Joseph drove the project.“I think he did really well,” Hamilton Jr. said. “I'd almost go as far as to say the experience was invaluable. You learn a lot from the whole process.”Joseph's father said even something as mundane as paperwork revealed a little about adulthood.“You start learning how much of a staple of life paperwork is and how much of a pain it can be. It's just good to realize what's coming,” he said.Joseph said he has his required merit badges, and he has held the prerequisite leadership positions.He only needs to finish his project and present himself to a board of review, who will decide his fate.“I've gotten everything else done. It's just a matter of finishing the Eagle Scout project,” he said.Joseph said he feels pretty confident moving forward about his chances to make Eagle Scout.
