[obol] Burney Falls (CA) Black Swifts

[Arch McCallum]

OBOL,
Having scanned Salt Creek Falls for hours, futilely, for Black Swift nests, 
I was certainly surprised when an impromptu stop at McArthur-Burney Falls 
Memorial State Park yesterday netted one certain nest, and another likely 
one. The falls are on CA highway 89, southeast of Mt. Shasta. It's a five 
minute walk down the paved path to the Black Swift placard near the base of 
the 100-ft falls. From that spot my daugher Conner and I were able to see 
two adults swifts sitting on a ledge at eye level, after seeing one fly to 
the spot. Then Conner saw another swift disappear into what looked like a 
little cave. I mention this out-of-state location not only because we saw 
the birds easily at midday, but also because both nests were only a few 
feet above the pool. The one I could see was not behind a sheet of water, 
but in plain view. So, perhaps the nests at Salt Creek are also close to 
the pool; I plan to scan that area more carefully next time I'm there.
Also, DIGISCOPERS, Burney Falls is your place for a fantastic picture of a 
Black Swift nest. If anyone wants specifics of the location of this nest I 
can send you a frame from my video.
Good birding,
Arch McCallum
Eugene