Wow! They put little
ultra-light back packs on four Black Swifts to try to find out where the birds
winter. The amazing thing is, this technology required the researchers to
RECAPTURE the birds to get the data - and they DID! They got 3 of the
birds back! They must have been ecstatic!
If you delve further into the other links in the article above, you will come across the
stat that there are only 210 known nesting sites, and half of those are in
Colorado.
Black Swift Population Estimate
British Columbia may be
the actual stronghold of the Black Swift's nesting range, though. Population
estimates based on Breeding Bird Surveys from the 1990s indicate BC had 70%
of the breeding Swifts.* Some believe that number to be higher, at up to 81%.
*"The population
size estimates in this database correspond to those presented in the Partners
in Flight North American Landbird Conservation Plan (Rich et al. 2004) and The
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Partners in Flight Landbird Reports
(Rosenberg 2004). These estimates were derived from Breeding Bird Survey data
from the 1990’s, and thus reflect average population sizes during that
decade."
The data
Black Swift population
estimate
World = 30,000
Northern Rockies
(bio-geographic zone) = 22,000
British Columbia
(political zone) = 21,000
More about their
nesting habitat
They nest behind
waterfalls. The best time to detect them is just after dusk as they return
from a day of insect hawking. Oh, and it helps to have a pair of night vision
goggles.
Ok. Just stake yourself
out at the base of a roaring, misty waterfall, preferably one in some narrow
cleft up on the side of a steep mountain somewhere, and wait. Be sure you know
how to find your way out in the dark, or maybe curl up in a wet sleeping bag until
the sun comes around again.
Here is an article
about a major survey effort of nesting sites done in 2003 in the "Pacific
Northwest".
My Swift Experiences
I have seen Black Swift
in my home "county" and other places. I have seen the large flocks
zipping around way up high in front of an impending storm front; the Blacks up
above the Vaux’s. Freaky in that light. They are so beautiful to watch! But
mostly I get just a brief glimpse, and I do suspect they nest around here. I
really should get off my butt and check out the local waterfall AND go up valley to add the White-throated Swift to my life list!
The best magical swift
encounter
My most memorable
experience with Swifts was seeing the Andean Swifts circling over Huayna Picchu,
adjacent to Macchu Picchu, in Peru in early 1979.
To get to the top of Huayna
Picchu at 2,720 m (8,920 ft) first you cross the narrow ridge edged by a
drop of hundreds of feet down to the Urubamba River. Then you haul yourself up hundreds
of rough-hewn steps cut into the rocks by the Inca. Then hike up to the tippy
top of Huayna. Once there, dizzy from the exertion and altitude, you can scramble
onto the top of the large boulder at the very apex of the mountain, plunk your
butt down, hang on for dear life and enjoy the view.
There, surrounded
on 3 sides by the Urubamba River way down in its gorge, and the fantastic ruins
of Macchu Picchu laid out in front, you may catch a glimpse of the Andean
Swift – as I did, as they whipped by meters from my head. It was magical. They were so fast, they
barely registered in my consciousness. As fast as jet fighters, they were, and
in their own element. The beauty of all existence crystalized on Earth for a
moment.
(The climb down through
the long small cave guided by the little local boys was
pretty fantastic, too! But that is another story.)
eBird would be a good
place to report your swift sightings. If you have evidence of breeding, don't
forget to note that in your comments.
Good luck little
Swifts! Happy hawking and enjoy your holiday in Brazil!
Oh, OK. I exaggerated ... They more often nest beside a waterfall or damp cliff-face, not behind a waterfall.
ReplyDeleteFurther reading.
ReplyDeleteGoogle "the coolestbird.pdf"
Thx for the link, Dick.