Searching for Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) Nests in Southern British Columbia

Abstract

Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) are thought to breed throughout southern British Columbia, however few nests have been described in the region. Population trend estimates from British Columbia show significant declines, prompting the Committee on the Status of endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) to assess Black Swift as endangered in Canada. We identified potential nesting locations and searched for nests at 16 sites in southern British Columbia between 2001 and 2015. two active Black Swift nests were discovered during surveys: Brandywine Falls south of Whistler, and highfalls Creek Falls northwest of Squamish. The Brandywine Falls nest was revisited annually from 2009 to 2015, and the nest was active during at least five of the seven years of monitoring. Evening surveys were not effective for detecting Black Swift nest attendance.