Hi Tweeters. Two days ago (April 30) I was outside just before sunset. I was
watching small mayflies (they sure are prompt!) dancing over our yard when I
heard a single Vaux's Swift. They have been around lately, but I haven't seen
more then 2 at a time. When I looked up I almost fell over! At least 700
Vaux's Swifts were flying south (presumably to a roost site). The flock
covered the sky for about a minute and they were all very noisy. The way I
identify them when they are high up is by the way they fly (looks almost as
if they are flapping wings alternately) and by their noise. It sounds like a
flock of strange insects. When they are a bit closer you can easily see their
dusky undersides and almost no tail. I identify Violet-green Swallows when
flying by their noise, which is a twittering and a sweet noise similar to an
impression of a wounded animal, by their shallowly forked tail, and by the
extensive white patches on flanks, going up to almost the rump. If you get a
really good look at a flying one, or if you see one landed briefly, take a
look at the head. The white on the Violet-green's head extend past the eye,
making the eye obvious. On the Tree Swallow the eye can be hard to see at
times. I'm not sure how people identify Black Swift, as I haven't seen one.
Barn Swallows are usually easy to ID because of their elegant deeply forked
tail and distinctive call. I haven't seen many Cliff Swallows, but they
remind me of Barn Swallows without the deeply forked tail. Good Birding!

PS Jim, you can put the Vaux's Swifts on the Heron Herald's Seen & Heard if
you want.

Visit my birding website at:
http://hometown.aol.com/birdking88/index.html

Birdking88 at aol.com
Charlie W. Wright
Sumner, WA
Age 11