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Close View of Black Swift 
By Mrs. ISABEL B. WASSON 
ON May 15TH at 8:00 a.m. Marguerite Shawvan and I were in Thatcher 
Woods near the slough at Chicago and Thatcher Avenues, River Forest, 
when suddenly we saw a large, slender-winged bird speeding in circles over 
the water. With steady wing beat, rapid, though slower than a chimney 
swift’s, he circled four times and was gone. The side of the circle toward 
us was so close to the ground that we saw him from above; on the far side 
he was flying twenty-five or more feet high, projected against the trees so 
that we saw him from below. This all happened in about one minute. The 
wings were long, slender and are-shaped, slightly wider at the base like a 
martin’s but longer, with more taper toward the tip. The wing spread I 
estimated to be about eighteen inches — as I learned later, probably over- 
estimated, as the bird was close and the white sky seemed to magnify its 
size. The upper and lower parts were dark. Once when he banked his 
shoulders and upper back looked iridescent, blue-black. His tail was short 
and slightly forked, held rather narrow. Once at a turn he widened it. The 
wings beat together with even rhythm — no flickering wing beat like that 
of a chimney swift. The body was cigar-shaped. 
We knew, of course, he was no local bird. I said, “If we were in the 
tropics I would say he is some great swift.” Then later, “Perhaps he is 
some oceanic bird from the gulf driven off his course.” The next day we 
saw Mrs. Amy Baldwin and described the bird to her. She said, “I think 
you have seen a black swift. Look it up in Peterson’s Western Bird Guide.” 
We did so, and there found our bird pictured in flight. We had not seen 
the light spot on his forehead. Peterson says, ‘‘Rare on the Pacific Coast.” 
Charles Clark and Ted Nork saw a black swift once at Saganashkee 
Slough. Charles told me he saw it flying high with a flock of chimney 
swifts and named it to Ted instantly. They watched it for about ten 
minutes. Perhaps we should look more carefully among flocks of swifts 
for this rare visitor from the Far West. 
606 Thatcher Ave., River Forest, Illinois 
FI fT ft 
Going to Hawaii? 
THE HONOLULU AUDUBON SOCIETY has sent an invitation to members of 
the J.A.S. to join them on a Hawaii Bird Tour this Christmas. They will 
aid visitors in finding native Hawaiian and exotic imported birds on the 
various islands. The cost of the trip is only $350.00, and includes eight days 
on Oahu Island and air fare from the West Coast. Interested members 
are asked to contact Mr. Charles Hanson, President, the Hawaii Audubon 
Society, P. O. Box 5032, Honolulu 14, Hawaii. 
