View allAll Photos Tagged swift
Without you, there is no time
The bee acquires the stillness of a stone
And nature's frantic flap assumes a stationary stance.
Colour fades and life is held as though in heavy glass
The swift, suspended inches from her nest
Will there remain 'til after you return.
for my Elastigirl
Pallid Swifts (*Apus pallidus*) are a distinctive presence in Gibraltar's skies, notably during the spring and summer months. These migratory birds breed in the region, often nesting under the eaves of buildings and cliffs, including the Gibraltar National Museum. A significant study conducted by the Gibraltar National Museum, Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, and the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society (GONHS) utilized GPS tracking to monitor the annual movements of Pallid Swifts. The findings revealed that these birds exhibit remarkable site fidelity, returning to the same nesting sites each year. Their migration patterns are equally impressive; departing Gibraltar in August, they journey to sub-Saharan Africa, spending time in regions such as the Sahel and tropical rainforests, before returning in March or April. During this period, they remain airborne, rarely coming to land . In Gibraltar, conservation efforts include the installation of live-feed cameras at nesting sites, allowing the public to observe the breeding process and fostering greater awareness and protection of these remarkable birds
I love Swifts almost as much as the Swallows Etc,but trying to get the exposure right i find can be very difficult.
Yesterday morning our local Swifts were flying over the garden so I went out with my camera for some target practice. This wasn't my best photo of the session, but a Swift feeding is something I've been trying to photograph for ages. They fly around catching flying insects which they store in their crop to take back to the nest. They can catch up to a thousand insects before returning to feed the chicks. David Lack who studied Swifts nesting in a tower at Oxford University counted 312 different species of insect and spider in these bug balls, and found that typically they contain 3-500 insects. Because winged insect food is so variable and unpredictable the youngsters can go into a kind of torpor, dropping their body temperature and arresting their development, then resuming to normal development when the insects start to reappear. They probably hunt at about 25 mph but even at this speed they can differentiate between insects. One swift was found to have caught several stingless drone honeybees but neatly avoided all of the stinging females. It is thought that each Swift may catch 10,000 insects in a day, which makes it surprising that this is the first time I have managed to photograph one feeding.
This guy dropped in front of my feet 2 years ago, fainted by the heat under the roof probably. I fed him several weeks (every hour! - I even took him every day to my job!), until his wings were long enough (and my god, they ARE long!), then brought him to a bird center where they could return him to the skies... I really LOVE swifts, they make me think of summer. A pity we only see them during 3 months here in Belgium, when they're nesting here.
Swift Creek splits into several branches at Canyon View Park in Afton, Wyoming, so little steel bridges are scattered throughout the park. Fallen leaves add to the picturesque location.
Not as sharp as it looked on the camera, Grantown-on Spey, Scotland.
These are noticeably absent from the skies above our garden this year. In fact, I'm not sure I've seen any at all in mid Sussex yet
July 2022 - reprocessed using Topaz Sharpen AI
This was taken in Wigan at a boxing event I was photographing. The boxers were very very swift as you can imagine!
This Swift was about 2 feet from the top of the grass.
Still trying to get one catching a fly in mid-air...
I was very pleased to see my first swifts of 2015,they were not my local swifts and they wouldnt come to close.But hopefully i will get better shots in the weeks to come,i will have to check to see if my local ones have returned.
A straight swift sucking nectar of the cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) flower.
Parnara guttata (Straight swift or Common straight swift, ‘Ichimonji-seseri’ in Japanese) is a species of butterfly in the skipper family, native to Japan and eastern Asia. Cosmos bipinnatus (Garden cosmos, 'Ooharushagiku' in Japanese) is a species of annual flowering plant in the aster family, native to Americas and cultivated worldwide.
Alpine swift (Apus melba)
Meaning behind the name:
Apus = Latin, and derived from Greek meaning "without foot" and refers to their appearance of not having any feet.
melba = Unknown origin and is thought to be of Chinese in 1758. One suggestion is the word could then be a shortened form of the Latin "melanoalba" or "melalba" which means "black, white" which is the colour appearance of this swift.
Did you know?
Swifts are unique with their legs and feet, since they are only designed to cling and not perch. They spend almost their entire lives on the wing, only landing to rear up their young.
The English name "Swift" is just one of several names that was given to it. Others include "House swift" (1668), Black Martin or swift (1678). The Alpine swift wasn't well known here at the time, and the "Common swift" was thought to be a bad omen and surrounded by superstition. However, Swift became common usage for this species from 1768. Swifts, Martins and Swallows had all shared names prior due to their simular resemblance to each other.
Swift by name and swift by nature - tricky birds to photograph!! Seen at The Abbey Halesowen West Midlands UK - 27-08-24
We have a very small number this year, all nesting in the one old barn. Now I'm getting on top of their flight plans, it's getting easier to catch them, but still a way to go.
White-throated Swifts are a bird found in western North America from northern California down to Honduras. The northern populations a migratory. They draw attention to themselves by their staccato chattering calls which to my ear sound very unswiftlike. They usually nest in high, rocky cliff crevices but can nest in buildings. I have seen them many times but usually at great distance. But on this trip to Baja we managed to find a few flying at low altitude so I managed to capture a photo. Its scientific name Aeronautes saxatlis translates as "air sailor of the rocks". You can see here that it's not just the throat that is white. There are also white flank patches and the tips to the secondary wing feathers are also white.
This is all I have to offer of the magnificent Swift this year. They're just about all gone now. Waiting for their return :) Thanks everyone, for comments etc.....I am not returning comments etc on others images as the house is still taking up my time. The kitchen is just about complete now, so my wifes happy. Cheers Gregg
I have been wanting to photograph these rare, critically endangered birds for some years. There are thought to be less than 2000 left in the wild. Today I got the chance in perfect weather and fairly close. Mega tick!
Poor Light while two swifts were flying and when the good light came the Swifts were nowhere to be seen :-( better luck next time maybe.
A Little disappointed as i waited for a while but that's wildlife and why i love it.
We climbed Ingleborough to find flocks of swifts at the top, feeding on the swarms of midges. (I haven’t painted the midges). The hill in the background is Pen-y-ghent which means roughly "windy hill" in the ancient British language. Watercolour 11x12", french ultramarine, quinacridone magenta, permanent rose, aureolin, cadmium yellow pale.