Date: 4/24/25 1:11 pm From: John Williams <john...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] Arthur Pack Chimney Swift
This morning I had a 66 species day. One I didn’t discover until I uploaded the photos from the morning. I thought I’d been photographing two Vaux’s Swifts swirling about overhead. A couple photos turned out very clear considering I didn’t know if any would be more than blurs… so the first 9 shots hit “delete” due to blur and fuzz and three nice sky shots. First clear one was a clean spread well lit. Wings neatly tapered to points, bit of a facial mask, pale to medium brown. Happy! Second clear one… hmmm, much darker, tail fanned open with pin points, wings a little bit bulbous. Review field guides. Crossley’s said “ easy to overlook particularly when with Vaux’s; probably under reported. Without the photo, I’d never have thought of a Chimney Swift. (Photos posted on ebird, hotspot “Arthur Pack Regional Park”)
Another interesting sight was a flock of 77 Lark Sparrows, lit up in the first sunlight. All morning they were scattered over the area. The cool mornings also have been attracting up to five species of swallows daily
66 species…. Second time in four days along with 63 and 53; last four days I’ve recorded 84 species at the park. Five were year birds, Western Tanager, Bullock’s Oriole, Hammond’s Flycatcher and the two swifts.
Until these four days, I had only hit sixty species twice in 15 years. Lingering ducks and sparrows help.
Yesterday, Three Curve-billed Thrashers were scuffing through the mulch around one of my trees, without any conflict.
A Broad-billed Hummingbird continues at our feeders daily.
Two Great Horned Owls roost in an Aleppo Pine nearby.
A Western Tanager stopped in my yard this morning. Love those bright colors in the sunlight.
