2 Black Swifts at Mission Trails tonight.
For the 3rd time in the past few days, I went to the Calina Dorado Dr. Entrance to Mission Trails to look for the Black Swifts. At about 6:40, 2 large black colored swifts appeared only 100 ft. from me and close to eye level as they flew up over the top of the hill I was on, and then continued west. The flight, much slower than Vaux's and White-thoated and the birds, quite a bit larger than both. Not a speck of white seen on either bird and the undersides looked almost black, much darker and again, much larger than the Vaux's. The winges, looked long and thiner from front of the bend to the back of it, and the tail, looked a bit longer to me.
Ok, the spot. If you go to the Calina Dorado Dr. trail head, you go the few hundred feet til you get to the kiosk and the take the trail that goes downhill to the right. you go a couple hundred feet and you see signs for the Quarry trail loop, I went left and up the hill. You go about a 1/4 mile or so and it forks at the edge of hill, over looking a gorge or whatever you call it below. This is where I camped out for 2 or 3 hours of birding.
I will try to be here tomorrow but it will be a long day at work, but I do plan on being here on Tues.
Mark Stratton
North Park
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports