Scott Richardson wrote:

> Sunday after 9 pm at the Fill I saw two species I couldn't (or wouldn't)
>identify. They were both flying over Shoveler Pond.
> Two swifts swooped to a few feet above the water, gliding. When they
>flapped, beats appeared slower than what I expect from a Vaux's. Something
>about their proportions--maybe a stouter swift than a Vaux's, with broader
>wings? I got to wondering about Blacks, but my "experience" with that
>species is limited to one 3-second sighting at Snoqualmie Pass. I know Black
>Swifts come down to the lowlands under certain conditions, but didn't think
>the clear and calm end of a 90-something degree day fit that pattern. I
>won't mind not identifying these two birds, but want to hear whether the
>above description of a couple of silhouettes is anywhere near a "clincher".

I think you'd know it if you saw a Black Swift at that range; it's twice as
big as a Vaux's; a Boeing 888 in comparison. I assume you know that Vaux's
are regular visitors to the ponds on the fill. I would predict both slower
wingbeats and broader wings (for increased lift) in a swift that dipped
down to a pond to drink (as I've seen them do on numerous occasions there).

> A bigger bird coming in from the east. My initial reaction: What? Black
>Tern? But I think this was a nighthawk. It's pointed wings were held up in a
>V after some beats and its flight was direct, not buoyant at all. It seemed
>all business, beelining past and out of sight toward the University. It's
>just been a while since I've seen a nighthawk fly by, and it's never
>happened to me in King County. Should I be watching the skies at dusk more
>often?

Sure sounds like a nighthawk, maybe already heading south in fall migration
(failed breeders of almost any species leave early). And, yes, we all
should watch the skies more than we do; you never know what you'll see up
there!

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416