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Bird of the Month Vaux's Swift is a small-bodied bird with long, very narrow swept-back wings that curve aerodynamically along both the leading and trailing edges. This bird of the west is identical to its eastern cousin, the better- known Chimney Swift. Vaux's Swifts forage in flight, eating tiny insects that they catch via rapid aerial pursuit. When feeding young, Vaux's Swifts capture over 100 insects and spiders per sortie, which they form into a ball then regurgitate to the young at the nest. Their call is an insect-like, high- pitched twittering. Vaux's Swifts are year-round residents in Central America and southern Mexico. In spring, part of the population migrates to the Pacific Northwest. There, they quickly pair up and mate on the wing, the male riding on the back of the female for a few seconds as she glides. Nests are built in hollows of trees and much less often in chimneys or under roof eves. Vaux's Swifts do not establish territories and multiple pairs may nest peaceably in the same tree. In the fall, the migratory Pacific Northwest population gathers in large flocks and uses both trees and chimneys for communal roosts. The three Vaux's Swifts that the Birding Club observed flying over Trail A on Sept. 5 were members of the migratory population, on their way from their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest to rejoin the resident population in Central America and southern Mexico for the winter. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB Our Sept. 5 bird walk produced a first record, a small flock of Vaux's Swifts. This sighting marked a Club milestone, the 100th species identified within Four Seasons! These swifts, along with the first Mountain Chickadees of the season, were signs that summer is ending and fall migration is kicking in. Four Seasons Birders on the walk were also treated to a murder of American Crows aerially pursuing a Great Horned Owl across Trail B. We heard one Bell's Vireo, the last of which will depart southward in mid-September. Our total of 20 species for the day included the aforementioned birds plus other sightings during the Bird Walk and sightings reported virtually from the back yards and trails of Four Seasons by Tina Canon, Genie Cooper, Linda Miller, Julie Shuttleworth, and Barbara Wasco. The Birding Club welcomes beginning and experienced birders to participate in monthly bird walks along FS nature trails and to take seasonal field trips. Email steve.h.edelman@ gmail.com. ~ Steve Edelman FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2020 39 Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. Vaux's Swift. Photo by Pinterest Nanette Scott captured this image of a male Costa's Hummingbird waving to a tanker airplane dropping fire retardant on the Apple Fire (the distant tanker is visible in the center of the photo) Black Phoebe in a moment of deep reflection. Photo by Gerrie Karczynski

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