STOP PRESS - Pacific Swift

It is often said that the rarest birds turn up in June and July.. and today that saying came true with a first for Denmark in the form of a Pacific Swift found by Stig Kjaergaard Rasmussen (SKR) sometime around 11am at Hejresøen, Vestamager, just outside Copenhagen. I heard the news at about 1245 and was on site by 1330. Fortunately for me, the bird was still present with around 60-70 Common Swifts hawking over the lake. It favoured the north-east corner of Hejresøen and flew mostly at treetop height with occasional forays to the western end of the lake. It was about the size of Common Swift but was longer-winged and had an obviously longer and more deeply forked tail. Overall it was slightly lighter in colour than the Common Swifts with which it was associating with prominent scaling on the underparts. The white on the rump was very obvious and reached round onto the sides of the rump, making it visible when the bird was side-on. I watched it for about an hour until, at around 1430, a thunderstorm approached from the north and the swift flock rose high and drifted off south-east towards Sydvestpynten (in the direction of Falsterbo in Sweden). I lost it from view at around 1435 when the rain started. I left site about 10 minutes later having congratulated Stig on his amazing find - a well-deserved reward for the hours he puts in around Vestamager, counting each species he encounters. I got a heavy soaking on my bike on the journey home but it was a small price to pay. Wouldn't it be ironic if the last new species I see in Denmark is one that would normally be seen in China!