Sue Hirshman
Sue Hirshman, expert on the Black Swift
Story by Kathryn R. Burke
[Ouray, Colo. March 17, 2015] “The Black Swift could be called the most elusive bird on earth,” Hirshman believes. “The birds don’t make it easy to find or observe them.” They like to nest in caves, near waterfalls, where rocky ledges and inhospitable terrain protect them from predators.
One of the more accessible locations for these mysterious birds right Box Canyon in Ouray, Colorado. Hirshman has been watching the Black Swift and recording their activities here nearly 20 years. “I hope I can study this bird until I’m 90,” she told Samantha Tisdel Wright for an article in the ‘2014 Adventure Summer Guide’ (1) “As long as I am able to walk, I am going to go over there” and watch those birds.
But she does more than just ‘watch.’ Using a Nikon D-90 with an AF-S Nikkor 70-300 mm lens for close-ups, she gets some outstanding photographs. Hirshman has helped team members band birds. Although Hirshman did not directly help the team to attach geo-locators, many birds were also fitted with that device to track their annual migration – all the way to Brazil and back!
Hirshman’s observations and photographs have been reported in numerous publications and scientific studies. Google ‘Sue Hirshman Black Swift’ and you get several pages of ‘hits,’ including links to articles she writes for the local Ouray County Newspaper. (2) Hirshman relates results of a detailed study of 11 years of Black Swift breeding phenology and success at Box Canyon.(5) “Box Canyon is known as Colorado’s largest nesting colony and the most accessible viewing opportunity, which has gained world attention as an important Birding Area,” Hirshman explains. Hirshman and Carolyn Gunn are updating that study to include another nine years.
To learn more about Box Canyon and the Black Swift, please join us Tuesday, March 17, 2015, at the Ouray Community Center, for a power point presentation followed by question and answer period. Hirshman will share historical photographs of the Box Canyon, which celebrates its 100-year anniversary as a park in 2020. Her detailed photographs follow a nesting pair of Swifts and their chick from hatching until it leaves the nest. Hirshman will also explain the geolocator and how it helps track and record birds migrations.
Sue Hirshman lives in Montrose, Colorado.
Photographs
Top: Black Swift on Nest. Sue E. Hirshman
Center: Black Swift Migration Map
Bottom: Mom feeding chick 38-42 days old. Sue E. Hirshman
Related Links.
(1)‘The Coolest Bird.’ Samantha Tisdel Wright. 2014 Adventure Summer Guide.
(2) ‘Birds of Ouray County: The Black Swift | Ouray.’ Ouray County News. Sue Hirshman.
(3) Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Science: Special Species: Black Swift.
(4) Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Bird Population Monitoring › Specialized Programs.
(5) ‘Breeding Phenology and Success of Black Swifts in Box Canyon’. Sue E. Hirshman, Carolyn Gunn, Richard G. Levad. Sue Hirshman’s detailed study of 11 years of Black Swift breeding phenology and success at Box Canyon in Ouray, Colorado.
(6) Box Canyon Park. Summer Hours 8 am-8 pm or until dark. Visitor Center open May through mid-October. Trails open year round.
This article also appears on website for the Woman’s Club of Ouray County. Designed and maintained by Kathryn R. Burke.
Susan Hale and Ann Mellick are avalanche forecasters for the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC). They work on the Highway 550 and 145 corridors in conjunction with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to keep the highways safe for winter travelers. Both have been employees of the CAIC since 2006, with previous backgrounds in snow and avalanche work in the Colorado Rockies.
Susan. A love for the mountains and back-country adventure lured Susan to the Colorado Rockies 28 years ago. Innumerable ski mountaineering escapades and a few encounters with avalanches left her with both respect and curiosity for avalanche phenomena. This interest was piqued during her ten years with the Snowmass Ski Patrol’s Snow Safety Team where she also oversaw the Avalanche Rescue Dog program. In 2004 an irresistible opportunity came along to work as an intern forecaster for the San Juan CAIC office. Here she learned the intricacies of local highway forecasting. Two years later, Susan was on board as a full time forecaster in the Silverton CAIC office.
[Ouray, Colo. October 20, 2015] Beth Goralski has been ice climbing since 2001. During a holiday vacation from Colorado State University, where she was a student, Beth took an ice climbing class. “I fell in love immediately” she said. “I had been rock climbing for quite a few years, so the transition was pretty easy for me.”
to compete in the Ouray Icefest. Last year, she also competed at the Bozeman Ice Festival in Bozeman Montana, which is now a World Cup event. This year she will return to compete in Bozeman, which is “where the world’s best mixed climbers come together to compete. There are six other world cup comps held in Europe and South Korea but Bozeman is the only one held in the Americas.”
[Montrose, Colo. November 18 2014] Thirty-five years ago Lorraine Coyle and her then-husband had a glass-etching business in Lake Arrowhead, California. A lot of their products were architectural – windows and doors primarily. “I also did smaller pieces, selling them at arts and craft shows,” she says. “Which is easy to do in California, because they have a lot of them.”