#swifts

'Common Swifts' (1886) by Bruno Liljefors (1860–1939).

Oil on canvas.

Stockholms Auktionsverk.

Oldest Known Black Swift Found in Colorado

This story from the field comes from Bird Conservancy of the Rockies biologists Rob Sparks and Colin Woolley: “On August 1st 2023, we were excited to recapture a female Black Swift at a nesting site in Colorado, where it was first banded as an adult (after-hatch-year) bird in 2005! That makes this swift at least 19 years old, breaking the longevity record set in 2022… by this very same swift! That’s right, this swift has been returning to nest at the same site since at least 2005, and has been recaptured 14 times over the years. Research like this highlights the importance of long-term monitoring projects and what they can reveal about a species’ site fidelity and lifespan. Right now, this swift is likely in Brazilian airspace, soaring over the Amazon Basin, where it will remain aloft for the entire overwintering period. Here’s to hoping this bird returns to nest in Colorado in 2024!” All banding is being conducted under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey’s BBL.

...is the chimney swift! This quirky little bird won against all its bejeweled hummingbird cousins, which I think is pretty impressive!

“Paul Powlesland of Lawyers for Nature said the protections given to birds’ nests in the Wildlife and Countryside Act were woefully inadequate. “Even where nests are in active use, it’s hard to get evidence of their destruction and the police do not take such crimes seriously.

At least we still have Alpensegler.