This morning (Sunday) at about 10:00, a large flock of swifts were noted
in my neighborhood (Madrona, at the intersection of 35th Ave. and Cherry
St. in Seattle). In about 2 minutes, I counted at least 60 swifts flying
by, all headed south along the lakeshore. I assumed this to be a
migratory flock, and diligently looked for Black Swifts among the
lower-flying birds. I didn't see any, but I was wondering if the Tweets
have some helpful hints about high-flying swifts? I've seen descriptions
of their flights and looked for differences, but still can't seem to see
this. Even at Stevens Pass once, when I knew they were Black Swifts, it
was difficult to see the differences in flight patterns (maybe because
they were so low, other things were obvious). I'd like to be able to
pick apart the swifts at 100 yards...

Mike Smith
University of Washington
whimbrel at u.washington.edu