'Our' swifts back east.
Bob obrien
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Andy Kratter <kratter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thursday, January 7, 2016
Subject: [BIRDWG01] Swfts in Gaiensivlle Florida
To: BIRDWG01@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Since late November, a group of 14-16 swifts has been roosting nightly in a
chimney on the University of Florida campus. The birds often vocalize before
entering the chimney while milling about over the site. Tom Webber and I
have good recordings, and they show the acoustic characteristics of Vaux's
Swifts, which have previously been verified wintering in north Florida (see
Webber and Collins,
http://www.fosbirds.org/sites/default/files/FFNs/FFNv23n2p25-29Webber.pdf).
The vocalizations include sharp chip notes interspersed or terminating with
inflected tones. On several days at least one bird has been giving what we
think is a more typical Chimney Swift vocalization, a series of sharp chip
notes (which are similar to the chip notes of Vaux's),but lacking the
inflected tones and terminal trill endings of Vaux's. Some observers have
reported that one swift in the flock appears to be a bit larger and have a
more soaring, less choppy flight. We can find no evidence (xeno-canto,
Cornell,etc.) of Vaux's Swifts lacking the characteristic inflected tones
and trills. Chimney Swift has never been documented to winter in Florida,
so confirmation of this would be great. Our question to those in the
readership who have more experience with Vaux's Swifts: do Vaux's Swifts
ever give series of sharp chip notes lacking the characteristic other
acoustic elements?
Many thanks,
Andy Kratter
Gaineville, Florida
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