Swift - Perth, WA (1 Viewer)

[cossypha]

Jan 25 2009 - I went out with my dad and the neighbours on their boat, around Fremantle harbour and out to Carnac Island. I saw these swifts, and thought "they're fork-tailed swifts - they cant be welcome swallow because they dont have white breasts".
BUT... Looking at these pics, I can't see a white throat, and there is perhaps a little bit of white on the rump - as opposed to a completely white rump. Whats more, I got Simon Nevill's book 'Birds of the Greater Southwest', and he reckons that fork-tailed swifts are vagrants to the region, and he hasn't seen them in the Perth area. The pics aren't very good. I sharpened and cropped them on Photoshop, which helped a little. Something you cant see in the pics is that the tail was forked.

Anyway, any help, even only a lil bit, is greatly welcomed.

Thanks

 

[birdboybowley]

They look like swallows to me - shape totally wrong for a swift

 

[cossypha]

Hmm I have to agree - looks more swallow shaped, but that breast looks very black to me... Just the shadow?

 

[lou salomon]

looks like barn swallow to me.

 

[Bird Hard 2]

Welcome Swallow for me.

 

[John_WA]

They look like Welcome Swallows to me, I suspect the dark breast is just a trick of the light. As your book says, swifts are pretty rare around Perth. They probably average about one record a year.

John

 

[lou salomon]

allright, i was in the wrong part of the world , sorry. welcome swallow it is.

 

[cossypha]

Thanks everyone:t: - I brightened the pic and what do you know? welcome swallow!