I hiked a section of the Kennedy Trail in the Sierra Azul OSP this evening. The usual suite of birds were quite vocal and visible. Notable species included Black-throated Gray Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, a fly-over Band-tailed Pidgeon, Lazuli Bunting, Warbling Vireo, Western Wood-pewee, California Thrasher, and Violet-green Swallow. The highlight of the trip: Where the Kennedy Trail meets the Priest Rock Trail, four BLACK SWIFTS fly directly over and to the west of me, northwest along the ridgeline at 18:47. I got an eight second glimpse at three of the birds, and a two second glimpse at one of the them. The size, wing and tail shapes, color, and flight pattern all matched this species. After looking over the county listserves tonight, there seems to have been a push of Black Swifts across this general latitude in California today.
Sweet birding,
Brent Campos
San Jose