ML161129641

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Appeared over the patch at 1751 and was gone by 1753. Its appearance coincided with a patch of low cloud passing through.. the air pressure dropped and it felt like rain. I watched the bird, initially at very close range - about 30-40m - for about a minute as it hawked insects low over the patch before rising a little and began to range more widely. I lost it behind some trees and ran to get a better vantage point but I couldn't relocate it. The bird moved on as soon as the low cloud passed. I could see the diagnostic swiftlet shape and jizz, with long, blunt-tipped wings, stiff wingbeats and enjoyed good views of the relatively pale rump contrasting with the darker tail and mantle. Clearly smaller than Common Swift or Pacific Swift. The throat looked a little pale. The second record of this species in Beijing.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

ISO

320

Focal length

117.9 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

0.01 sec

Dimensions

2550 pixels x 1770 pixels

Original file size

597.84 KB