ML596592741
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Behaviors
- Flying
Media notes
One of two Black Swifts seen this afternoon here photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 22 July 2023 along the Cobal Canyon Mountainway, Claremont Wilderness Park, Claremont, Los Angeles County, California.
Observation details
Coles spotted the first swift, but following our initial sighting we saw one bird repeatedly and two birds at the same time on at least two occasions. Although we saw single swifts fly almost directly overhead, they were generally rather high above, and only once or twice did we see single birds fly relatively low overhead. I used both my binoculars and my scope to study these birds, and I managed to get at least a few mediocre photos. Although we saw two birds at the same time, they appeared identical, and given that we saw these birds repeatedly I have no idea whether our repeated encounters involved mostly one bird or both interchangeably. Relative to the Cliff Swallows with which they were flying, these birds were clearly larger, but their shape and flight were more obviously different. Most obvious was that the notably long, sickle-shaped wings not only tapered from narrower bases than those of the swallows to more finely pointed tips, but they were also swept backward with their leading edges appearing curved. The body was also more elongate, albeit with the large head extending only a shirt distance before the leading edges of the wings. I thought the rear part of the body was relatively slim and tapered, but it did not appear as long as that of a White-throated Swift. The tail generally appeared square-tipped and it was more conspicuous that that of a White-throated Swift. Finally, these birds were generally seen soaring and banking, but when they flapped the wing movements appeared shallow and somewhat slower than those of both the swallows and the smaller swifts. Both birds appeared to be a dull, sooty-black color overall. I did not see the upperparts overly well on birds that were always seen overhead, but what I did see appeared to be rather uniformly blackish. My photos show some suggestion of the pale forehead, but I was unable to note this in the field. Unlike the White-throated Swifts, these birds appeared to be a sooty-black throughout the underparts. I was unable to discern in the field any clear barring below, but I did think there was an uneven appearance and some suggestion of paler markings. I also noted some contrast between the underwing coverts and the undersides of the remiges, but the exact pattern eluded me. If pressed, I would have thought the undersides of the remiges had a more silvery appearance that contrasted somewhat with more purely black coverts. The tail was also black as far as I could determine. The bill was short and apparently dark, but I was unable to see clearly the color of the eyes, and I am not sure I ever saw the legs or feet on birds that I saw exclusively in flight.
Technical information
- Model
- ILCE-7RM5
- Lens
- FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS
- ISO
- 500
- Focal length
- 600 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/2000 sec
- Dimensions
- 2020 pixels x 1302 pixels
- Original file size
- 2.53 MB