[SBB] Black Swifts, RB Nuthatch 6/14/2005

["Garth Harwood" <[[email protected]]>]

Hello All,

During my routine walk at Monte Bello's Gate 5 yesterday, 6/14/2005 at 8:55AM, I chanced upon a group of 8 Black Swifts. While gazing at some ravens coming over the ridge to the south, I saw first one, then a group of large, dark swifts, flying with oddly slow wingbeats interspersed with long moments of soaring while they foraged in lazy circles over the ridgeline. Over the course of  7 minutes' observation they moved gradually northwest following the ridgeline and disappeared over Russian Ridge. At the location where they were initially observed their circles took them into both Santa Clara and San Mateo County airspace. 

The view was somewhat distant but the light was excellent, enough to be certain in this extended view that there was no white on these birds - rule out White-throated Swift - and that they were larger, darker, thicker-winged and and longer-tailed than Vaux's. (The tail was bulkier and blunter than that of White-throated, also.) They did have the general streamlined silhouette of swifts however. I did not hear anything from them.

It was an exciting moment for me, as I had not encountered BLSW in the county before - unless one counts being present, several years ago, at an owl nest-cam presentation in Los Gatos when Mike Rogers called some out and I glimpsed something skinny and black flash across the foliage-obscured sky. In this case the birds were right out in the open and their flying style really set them apart from other swifts - none of that rapid fluttery stuff at all.

The only other bird of note was a calling Red-breasted Nuthatch near the intersection of Page Mill Rd. and Skyline once again. Open Space staff have mowed much of the flowering Vetch along the access to the pond this week, and there were fewer hummers around.

--Garth Harwood
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