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.
RobinL
14 Jul 2009Amazing 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!
CedarFox
14 Jul 2009Nice shots. They must be very efficient flyers to stay in the air for so long.
gdare
14 Jul 20093 million miles :faint:
I don`t think I have ever seen that bird, but I have known about them.
Ukwildlife
14 Jul 2009great photos – I havent got a half decent swift photo yet so well done 🙂
Words
15 Jul 2009Robin, 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!)
Words
15 Jul 2009Neil, 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.
Words
15 Jul 2009Thanks Erwin!
Words
15 Jul 2009Eric, 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'.
Words
15 Jul 2009Darko, they seem perfectly adapted to the way they live but it must get very tiring on their 'arms'.
SittingFox
15 Jul 2009Wonderful birds, very special. Very hard to photograph too, so well done! 🙂
Words
16 Jul 2009Thanks Adele. They're always a challenge, but such a great symbol of summer.
Wulpen
19 Oct 2012Amazing shot