Kent birds.....

[Buteoreg at aol.com]

Hi all - 

On Monday I checked the Kent Ponds for Black Swifts during my lunch break. I 
only saw one distant bird there, but I got the real show later in the day at 
my workplace.

I work at a warehouse that backs up to the Green River on Central Ave South, 
just north of Auburn. We have a garden behind the warehouse and I went out 
there around 4:30 to check the tomato plants (goofing around in the name of 
science/business). I see lots of swallows over the river, and often see 
Vaux's Swifts as well, but never had seen Black Swifts there. Well, Monday 
changed that! For over 1/2 an hour I watched about 15 of them foraging over 
the river, and over the warehouse. They often flew as low as 20 feet over my 
head, and at one point I could even see the  whitish forehead marks of one 
bird. It also appeared to have a few, very fine, white edgings to the 
belly/breast feathers similar to the markings Sibley shows for the juvenile 
birds - maybe a few birds could retain these markings into their following 
spring?

I just love watching them fly - they vary from slow, gliding, somewhat 
bat-like foraging, to bat-outta-you know where, rocketing foraging runs. 
Sibley says the foraging flight is rather slow and erratic - I would say, 
yes, at times, that's the case. But often they fly so rapidly and marvelously 
that it takes your breath away! I was able to see the forked tail, supposedly 
of males, a few times during the observation as well. What a thrill - and not 
a bad bird for the "work list". I'm so glad I had my bins in my car...

As this was going on I heard a song along the river I thought I recognized. 
Sure enough, the Lazuli Bunting that frequented the riverbank shrubbery last 
summer has returned. Not a typical day's work for me - unfortunately - I 
*could* get used to it...

                                          
                                           Jim Flynn
                                           buteoreg at aol.com
                                           Federal Way, WA
                                           
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