[cobirds] White-throated Swift roost watch opportunity 10/4 - we had 380 swifts tonight

We had a fantastic time watching the swifts at the JeffCo Deer Creek Canyon roost tonight on a DFO trip, with an estimated 380 swifts present, and a long and fascinating interaction between a hunting Red-tailed Hawk and over 50 of the swifts. It was so great I have decided to go back tomorrow evening and have created a new DFO trip for 10/4 if anyone wants to join me to witness what is going on.

http://dfobirds.org/FieldTrips/Register.aspx?TripID=14079

The hawk flew in some 45 min before sunset, after over 300 swifts had entered the roost, and perched right at the base of the roost crack. The swifts were continually flying in right next to the hawk, as if to mob it or agitate it or make it move away. The pic here is not great due to low light (cloudy, raining lightly) and distance through a scope, but you can see the hawk at the base of the long crack. There are already 325 swifts up in that crack. How does a Red-tailed, relatively slow and lumbering, have a hope to catch a swift and agile wind sailor like a White-throated Swift? This one perched for over 40 minutes at the base of the roost cliff, apparently dissuading most of the remaining the swifts from entering further, and waited for its chance to nab a swift by lunging at a flying full speed swift as it passed within inches of the perched hawk, trying to catch it to catch it with its bill! It eventually did make a serious lunge out to catch one about 4 minutes after sunset. With the low light and all the 

movement it was hard to be certain, but I think it probably caught a swift and then it flew off out of view.

Interested? Come join me tomorrow for what will be one of the last days the swifts are here.

David Suddjian

Ken Caryl Valley

Littleton, CO

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