Seen flying overhead this evening. Indeed I'll almost certainly only ever see them flying overhead. Swifts only land for breeding (in hollows… they can't perch or walk), and juveniles may spend over three years on the wing before their first breeding season. These birds cover extraordinary distances (up to 3 million miles in a lifetime), sleep on the wing, and catch anything between 20,000 – 100,000 insects a day! They also fly high (over 2km high), though these shots were considerably nearer the ground.
Camera note: all shots taken with the EF 400mm f/5.6L USM lens.
12 Comments
Amazing shots and amazing story. I did not know that. I suppose one could say that they take flying to the extreem. And they can have my share of bugs too!
Nice shots. They must be very efficient flyers to stay in the air for so long.
3 million miles :faint:
I don`t think I have ever seen that bird, but I have known about them.
great photos – I havent got a half decent swift photo yet so well done 🙂
Robin, they're quite astonishing and there used to be lots of myths about where they would go in winter (it was believed they lived in caves!)
Neil, thanks! I have a fair few blurs, and I've ended up twisted into knots before now trying to get these. It's easier when they are at a reasonable height, but it would be great to get them swooping over a pond.
Thanks Erwin!
Eric, they seem to be able to adjust their wings to accommodate different activity. I saw a site where they were doing research on aircraft design based on swift 'wing morphing'.
Darko, they seem perfectly adapted to the way they live but it must get very tiring on their 'arms'.
Wonderful birds, very special. Very hard to photograph too, so well done! 🙂
Thanks Adele. They're always a challenge, but such a great symbol of summer.
Amazing shot