Burney Falls Black Swifts Nesting at 10000 Birds

Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) on Nest photo Wikipedia Commons by Terry Gray

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park has one of the few Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) nesting sites in California. These swift flying insectivores nest in niches on sheer rock cliffs, shaded and bathed in mist from the frigid splash of a nearby cascade often behind a rushing torrent of falling water and abundant spray, but with at least trickle of water flow to keep the environment damp near the nest. The first Black Swift nest was found on a seacoast cliff near Santa Cruz, California in 1901. Since then it has been discovered that they also use inland sites with nests placed in cool, dark, damp nest caves near or behind waterfalls in the mountains. Check out my latest West Coast Beat Writer post on Burney Falls and the Black Swift over at 10000 Birds!