English and Scientific names:	Vaux\'s Swift
Number of individuals:	4
Locality: LOUISIANA:	East Baton Rouge
Specific Locality:	1967 Tulip Street Baton Rouge
Date(s) when observed:	November 15, 2009
Time(s) of day when observed:	ca. 1:30 PM
Reporting observer:	Jeffrey W. Harris
Other observers accompanying reporter who also identified the bird(s):	no one else observed the birds
Other observers who independently identified the bird(s)	no one else observed the birds
Light conditions (position of bird in relation to shade and to direction and amount of light):	Bright and clear skies; the birds were hardly above treetops, maybe 130-150 feet over my head.
Optical equipment:	8 x 40 Binoculars; miniDV video camera with 48X optical zoom
Distance to bird(s):	130-150 feet
Duration of observation:	only 10-15 seconds
Habitat:	skies over head; in the company of 9 Tree Swallows
Behavior of bird:	The chattering of the birds caught my attention, and I looked up to see a tight group of 4 swifts flying over head.
Description:	The chattering did not sound like Chimney Swift, and about 2 minutes after trying to record the birds I played the Vaux's Swift recording from the Stokes Western Songs CD on my ipod.  Part of this recording seemed to match very well what I had heard from the birds.  I had a video camera on my lap bbecause I was trying to record the presence of a Black-chinned Hummingbird at my feeders; so I quickly tried to find the swifts.  I could only record 1 bird at a time because the birds split apart soon after I spotted the group. To me the birds looked like Chminey Swifts, but I really could not tell if they were smaller than that species.  The wing flutter and movements were characteristically that of a swift.  I could not tell if the throat area was whiter or lighter than expected on a Chimney Swift.  The birds appeared all brown, but they were backlit by the sun (the birds were between me and the sun with very contrasty lighting).
Voice:	The chatter struck me as NOT CHIMNEY SWIFT (my first thought).  Playing the Vaux\'s Swift recording reinforced that as well.
Similar species:	The voice and date of sighting are suggestive of Vaux's Swift.
Photographs or tape recordings obtained?	I took a very quick video, but had trouble focusing on the birds.  My best images are blurred, brown swifts.
Previous experience with this species:	I have seen this species at least 3 times previously, but only heard it chatter on 2 previous sightings.
Identification aids:
This description is written from:	Memory
Are you positive of your identification? If not, explain:	I am positive that the birds were swifts; the sounds seemed to be Vaux's; but nothing in my video recordings can confirm the species ID --> only if the date of sighting can be viewed as an ID help.
Date and time:	November 18, 2009 9:30 PM