Hardy Volunteers Needed For 2017 Black Swift Surveys
Do you enjoy bird-adventures? Willing to hike and gaze at waterfalls? Enjoy scrutinizing wet cliff faces for obscure moss nests? Prefer birding at dawn and dusk? If you’re like the majority of birders in Montana, you’ve never seen a black swift, but this volunteer opportunity could change that!
Montana Audubon will expand this season’s citizen science efforts to search for additional swift nests in Montana- including potential sites in the Bitterroot Valley. Amy Seaman will offer two trainings this summer – one in Glacier Park, and another at a nearby location. Both will be held in mid-July and are limited to 12 participants. A small stipend to cover expenses will be offered for individuals who successfully complete the training and commit to a survey.
If you’d like to participate in this project, please contact Amy; aseaman@mtaudubon.org. Join the elite group of cool birders out there who tell others that they are “going swifting” and remember that “swifting” is not for the faint of heart. Surveying for this species requires long hikes, tremendous patience, and navigating difficult terrain (in grizzly country) even at night. However, it sure is fun and incredibly rewarding!
To learn more about what “swifting” is like, check out this description from last season:Black-Swift Surveys-2016