Subject: [Tweeters] Northbend Airshow: Swifts, Swallows & Nighthawks
Date: Jun 17 23:51:30 2016
From: Ed Newbold - ednewbold1 at yahoo.com


Hi all,
Our plan tonight was to go to Snoqualmie Falls to see if we?could find?Black Swifts coming in to nests behind the Falls, so we didn't head out of Seattle until 7:30 in the evening.? We took Exit 34 off?I-90, then turned left at the T and headed West on North Bend Way.? In approx. a mile?is the trailhead of the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and there is plenty of shoulder.? That's where Brian Pendleton called "Common Nighthawk" and we hastily parked and got out and proceeded to watch an AIRSHOW.?? There were at least 8 Black Swifts cruising across the sky in various directions, at least two Common Nighthawks,?plus a changing cast of Hirundines that included a number of Violet-green Swallow and at least one Barn and one Tree Swallow, and a few Vaux's Swifts to round out the airshow participants.? A large number of Cedar Waxwing, a Yellow Warbler, Swainson's Thrush?and a White-crowned Sparrow provided the sound track?over the ambient traffic noise and a Band-tailed Pigeon and Bald Eagle provided?flyover cameos.???
It was lucky we stopped at the side of the highway for the Airshow.? We then proceeded to watch Snoqualmie Falls at Dusk, where we did not see any Swifts of either?species.? Surprisingly, though, we?did come up with yet two more Common Nighthawks, which we?thought were probably a different individuals.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to see Nighthawks this close on the west side here,?the hope was to see Black Swifts--the Nighthawks turned the evening golden.
Best,
Ed Newbold