Black Swift
Photographed near Venable Falls, Custer Co. Colorado as part of the
Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory's Black Swift monitoring program. The nest
was located about 25 feet above the creek in a narrow gorge on a cliff face,
underneath a 3 foot overhang, just downstream from a small waterfall/cascade in
the creek. It was difficult to see this bird, and I had to use a very slow shutter speed
when taking photos from a ledge opposite the nest. Funny how the best looks I got of this
swift only came after I had the film developed!!!
More information on black swifts, and efforts to monitor their populations can be found
on the Partners in Flight page, and in the Journal of the Colorado Field Ornithologists
Click the photo for a larger image.