The Black Swift in Glacier National Park
The Black Swift in Glacier National Park
The Black Swift (Nephoecetes niger borealis) appears to be a rare bird in Montana. No record of its occurrence is given by Saunders in his list of Montana birds (Pac. Coast Avif. No. 14, 1921). In “Wild Animals of Glacier National Park: The Birds” (Nat. Park Service, 1918), Mrs. F. M. Bailey gives no record for this species, but indicates (p. 106) a possibility of its being seen on rare occasions. More recently I have published records of its occurrence at Libby (Auk, XLYII, 1930, p. 98) and in Glacier Park (ibid., p. 98, and Bird-Lore, XXXIII, 1931, p. 175).
During the summer of 1931, I visited Glacier Park on four occasions, and observed Black Swifts twice. During a one-day visit on June 7, I observed three of the birds flying above McDonald Creek near the mouth of Avalanche Creek. On August 17, I traversed the length of the Garden Wall on the trail from Logan Pass to Granite Park, climbing to the summit twice, and descended from Granite Park to McDonald Creek Valley, without seeing a Black Swift. The next morning, however, I saw four birds of this species near Avalanche Lake. On two occasions later in the summer I was in Glacier Park for a few hours, but did not observe any Black Swifts.
The new A. O. U. Check-list (p. 177) questions the inclusion of Montana in the breeding range of the Black Swift. The records cited and described above indicate that it probably breeds sparingly in Glacier National Park.
Winton Weydemeyer
Fortine, Montana, January 14, 1932
