Tweeters,

Nooksack Falls and vicinity seems like exactly the kind of place
Black Swifts would choose for nesting. However, Terry Wahl, in "Birds
of Whatcom County: Status and Distribution" (1995) makes no mention
of Nooksack Falls. The only confirmed breeding site in the county
mentioned by Terry is Copper Mountain.
Terry does mention the Newhalem area (on State Route 20 along the
Skagit River) as being an "almost certain" nesting site and a reliable
spot to see Black Swifts. He states: "...hundreds are regularly
observed at dusk in summer, foraging and displaying over Goodell Creek
and the Skagit River. BBA [Breeding Bird Atlas] observations indicate
likely nesting near Ross Lake and Diablo Lake".
If someone has the patience to stake out the Nooksack Falls area,
it might be possible to confirm Black Swift nesting there. However,
Black Swift nests are usually very hard to find-- in part because the
adults apparently feed the young no more than once a day, and then
often toward dusk.

Wayne C. Weber
Kamloops and Delta, B.C.
wayne_weber at bc.sympatico.ca


-----Original Message-----
From: C. Thrush <ishriver at u.washington.edu>
To: Hal Opperman <halop at accessone.com>
Cc: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Friday, June 23, 2000 12:43 PM
Subject: Re: RFI : Black Swifts


>
>Aren't there also black swifts nesting behind Nooksack Falls in
eastern
>Whatcom County? I remember seeing swifts there when I was in
college, but
>I'm not 100% of sure of the species anymore. Does anyone else know?
>
>*********************************************************************
****
>Coll-Peter Thrush
>Doctoral Candidate in History
>University of Washington, Seattle
>ishriver at u.washington.edu
>*********************************************************************
****
>
>
>