Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Vaux's Swift
Scientific name:	Chaetura vauxi
Date:	April 22, 2025
Time:	6:45 pm
Length of time observed:	~10 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	unknown
Sex:	unknown
Location:	Zion National Park Lodge
County:	Washington
Latilong:
Elevation:	I was at ~4200 ft, the bird was higher
Distance to bird:	Hard to say, it was pretty high up - probably several 100 ft
Optical equipment:	8x42 binoculars
Weather:	~72°F, sunny, maybe a light wind
Light Conditions:	clear sky, but sun had set enough that the canyon was in shade (good viewing conditions)
Description: Size of bird:	small
(Description:) Basic Shape:	cigar with wings
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	grey/black
(Description:) Bill Type:	tiny
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	On my first night in Zion National Park, I was sitting on the green outside Zion Lodge watching an assemblage of aerial insectivores (White-throated Swifts, Violet-green Swallows). I noticed one different bird, which I immediately identified as a Vaux's Swift. I watched the bird for maybe 10-15 minutes as it circled above the canyon with the other swifts and swallows, seeing it from many different angles and in changing lighting. Field marks noted include the "cigar-shaped" body (essentially cylindrical) and thin pointed wings. The birds's body was fairly short, with a short tail (unlike the long tail of White-throated Swift). The flight style consisted of rapid flapping followed by short glides. I am very familiar with the extremely similar Chimney Swift and am therefore very comfortable with this identification. The bird's colour was dark grayish/black and I did not note any other colouration (no white in particular) throughout the duration of the observation. I initially thought that there was more than 1 Vaux's Swift present and will admit that I did not give much scrutiny to most of the rest of the flock aside from this bird (I didn't realize the rarity of Vaux's in Utah until later). I can only be certain that 1 Vaux's Swift was present and am therefore only including 1 in my eBird list.
Song or call & method of delivery:	None
Behavior:	Constantly in flight, fluttery fast wingbeats followed by short glides
Habitat:	As noted above, constantly in flight above Zion Canyon. Canyon with steep rock walls on both sides.
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	White-throated Swift eliminated by shorter tail of this bird, lack of white (I watched it for an extended period of times from different angles and no white was apparent). Swallows eliminated by flight style (rapid wingbeats, short glides) and shape. Black Swift (would be rare) eliminated by size (BLSW would be much larger) Chimney Swift can't be eliminated from what I saw, but would be even rarer than VASW.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I have seen VASW plenty of times, but am extremely familiar with CHSW. I see CHSW daily where I live in Toronto (May-September) and am very familiar with their shape, flight style, etc, which is virtually identical to that of VASW. I did see Vaux's Swift a few more times on this trip (in Las Vegas). I don't see White-throated Swifts often, but have seen them quite a lot cumultatively over the years. I also saw White-throated Swifts quite frequently on this trip and became pretty familiar with them from that.
References consulted:	Sibley guide
Description from:	Notes made later
Observer:	Gavin Platt
Observer's address:	306 Pape Ave, Toronto, ON, Canada M4M 2W7
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	None that I know of
Date prepared:	May 20, 2025
Additional material:	No_additional_Materials
Additional comments:	eBird list for this sighting is here (for reference): https://ebird.org/checklist/S228466503