Black Swift is a code 4 species for Edmonds, last seen on July 5,
2010, in large numbers over the marsh. This morning I was standing
around the Point Edwards retention pond with Dennis Duffy and Ted
Peterson, watching Red-winged Blackbird dads feeding youngsters and a
Gadwall hen herding a couple of chicks around the pond. It was cloudy
and cool, as the weather has been for the last couple of days. We
looked up and saw two Black Swifts moving over the condominium
buildings. We started turning around slowly and saw at least 20 birds
moving from north to south, doing some hawking but mostly moving
south. This was at 10 a.m. We walked back down to our cars on Pine
Street near the Willow Creek Hatchery and watched a second wave of
14-15 Black Swifts moving south at 10:15. We also saw two Vaux's
Swifts. If you are along or near Puget Sound in Seattle right now,
look up and you might see this swoop of swifts.

Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion, published in 2006, notes
that this species migrates south from late August to late October. As
knowledge of swifts is still being acquired, we wondered if those
dates for fall migration might become a little more fluid. Ibird Pro
states that collective nouns for swifts are "box," "flock," "screaming
frenzy," and "swoop." I like the alliteration of swoop of swifts. I
have two photos embedded in this eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S18817658

Carol Riddell
Edmonds, WA