Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Vaux's Swift
Scientific name:	Chaetura vauxi
Date:	5/7/2024
Time:	3:55pm
Length of time observed:	30 seconds
Number:	1
Age:	?
Sex:	?
Location:	Willard Bay State Park
County:	Box Elder
Latilong:	41.414115, -112.053221
Elevation:	4200ft~
Distance to bird:	Less than 3m at closest
Optical equipment:	Nikon 10x42 Binoculars
Weather:	Partly cloudy, breezy, 49F
Light Conditions:	Good
Description: Size of bird:	tiny
(Description:) Basic Shape:	streamlined
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	overall soot gray-brown
(Description:) Bill Type:	not seen
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	As I was walking back to my car, I noted a tiny brown bird flying through the parking lot low, and immediately noted the distinctive flight style of a swift, fast and frantic with stiff, shallow, rapid wing beats. It then swooped around made a turn and came directly at me, I was able to briefly get my binos on it before it shot over my head just a few feet above me, noted overall gray-brown color, but had a paler grayer rump and throat than body and wings. Body was short and stout, shorter than wings, wings were straight and stiff. There were several Violet-green and Northern Rough-winged Swallows also working the parking lot in the same manner, they were both notably larger than this bird. A note on the weather. We had a series of major late winter like storms for 3 days straight, with heavy rain and near constant gale force winds, snow levels down to the 4,300ft. On this day it had rained in the morning, but let up to scattered showers, but with a stiff W wind. Willard Bay(and the entire Great Salt Lake Basin) was absolutely covered in swallows flying low, often skimming the water, trying to manage in the wind and find food, thousands upon thousands of them everywhere. The shelter of the trees here and a midge hatch had attracted many to be flying low through the trees, often I had Swallows flying right over me as if I weren't even there just inches away. The Swift must have sought the same food and shelter, although the wind had actually let up just bit a few minutes before and many of the swallows cleared out, nevertheless this was a major Swallout event, not unlike the May 8th 2022 event when we spotted at least 2 VASW just a few hundred meters north of here. Seems to be good trap for them in bad weather.
Song or call & method of delivery:	None heard
Behavior:	Flying low through parking lot less than 20ft off the ground
Habitat:	Freshwater reservoir nearby, but in grove of tall cottonwoods
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	White-throated Swift: The common expected swift, but larger, bigger than any swallow except Purple Martins. Long body with a long forked tail, long sickle shaped wings. Contrasting black and white plumage with a white throat extending onto the breast and white on the sides of the rump. Very different Black Swift: Much larger, with a longer squared tail and longer wings and body in proportion. All blackish plumage Chimney Swift: Very similar and mostly separated by range, Chimney are exceptional rare west of the front range of the rockies. Chimney also are larger and seem longer bodied and longer winged and darker overall. Vaux's just seem ridiculously tiny and compact with a frantic wingbeat, Chimney seem to keep their cool and fly more leisurely and seem more normal proportioned to me. Chimney should be as larger or larger than a Violet-green Swallow, not smaller as this bird was. Swallows-larger with a different flight style, more leisurely with glides and wings tucked against body at times.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	4th observation of Vaux's in Utah, I've also seen Vaux's in MX,AZ and WA. I saw several Chimney in TX a month ago, and many White-throated and Black Swifts in Utah
References consulted:	Sibley app
Description from:	Notes taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	Bryant Olsen
Observer's address:	84102
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	None that I know of
Date prepared:	5/7/24
Additional material:
Additional comments:	eBird checklist: https://ebird.org/checklist/S172706149