[SBB] Black Swifts 5/14/2007

Hello All,

This morning 5/14/2007 at 8:50 AM, a pair of Black Swifts sailed over Monte Bello OSP and northwestwards into San Mateo County. I almost wasted the moment, thinking they were Vaux's at first glance, but then I noticed their peculiarly slow wingbeats, paired with long, lazy-looking glides, so I took a careful look at their thicker wings and their long tails which they sometimes fanned as they flew. They had an overall dark appearance from below as well, as opposed to the paler Vaux's. About five minutes later, two more came over the clearing I was in. I could only see about half of the sky at that point, so who knows how many may actually have passed over?

At the MB05 pond, things were pretty quiet. There was a Green Heron early, and I could hear the resident Red-breasted Nuthatch in the pine grove to the west. At least 3 Lazuli Buntings could be heard in different quadrants.

A pair of Ring-necked Ducks persists at the pond. The female of this pair is easily recognizable as she has a lot of white feathering on the head, especially in the cheeks. Otherwise, I'd have thought it was the same pair that has been hanging around for many weeks now, but a couple of weeks ago I saw TWO pair there, the leucistic female being part of the newcomer pair, and since then only the new pair has been around.

Red-winged Blackbirds were carrying food there this morning, and the resident American Coots had a batch of 6 tiny precocial young as of 5/11, but only 4 were accounted for this morning. I hope the others haven't become heron food!

Garth Harwood