Another great set of migrants has arrived, and now its time to figure out how to identify them! Swallows and swifts can be tricky in flight, but these tips should help you ID them in the field. Trickiest, perhaps, is distinguishing between the violet-green swallow and the Tree Swallow. The main thing to look at on these birds is where the white is. On the violet-green, white goes above the eye, and goes very high up the back on the flanks just behind the wings.
Looking for more ID guides on migrant birds? Check my west coast warbler guide.