Tweeters,

This California wildlife rehabers advice/suggestions/experiences:

We rehabilitators have been known to go to extremes to get a bird back
to where it belongs. Many years ago I flew to Pennsylvania with a
first year female blackburnian warbler, a vagrant grounded in San
Francisco the previous fall. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't do
that again because that was possibly a bird with goofy DNA/
navigation. However, in the case of this WTSW, perhaps it was blown
off course? Isn't west Texas the nearest terriority for them? Would
someone be willing to bring it a few states over to the West?

Plus

They may want to check with their state regulatory agency (DNR, or
DFG, FWS) to investigate the protocol about transporting protected
wildlife across state borders. If someone takes the bird on a plane,
they should call the airline first to confirm that the bird can be
taken in the cabin. I brought the warbler in the cabin because I had
heard terrible stories about animals being shipped in the cargo area
where they were exposed to temperature extremes and other stress
inducing factors.

Biologists/scientists may cast judgement on this kind of assistance
for the swift due to the possibility that the birds compass is off or
he has other genetic defects that nature was attempting to weed out.
Either way, his fate is his fate, so it doesn't hurt to try.

Veronica

Larry Schwitters
Issaquah