Alpine Swifts in Lucerne

The Bird

An alpine swift is a big, brown, scythe-winged bird with a white belly and throat and a brown band across the chest. Its natural nest sites are cliffs; in Switzerland it has taken to church towers, old walls and tall buildings, and several towns have long-established colonies.

The birds arrive from Africa in April and leave in September. They feed, drink and even sleep in flight, and spend their time in Switzerland raising young in the colony.

The Workshop

We meet in the old town in the late afternoon and spend the session where the birds are busiest. The first hour is set-up and technique on the ground; the rest is practice with a guide beside you, correcting as you go.

You will cover autofocus modes and focus zones for a small, fast target, shutter speeds that freeze or deliberately blur wingbeats, exposure against a bright sky, and the panning technique that makes the difference. The evening screaming parties, when groups chase low around the towers, are the finale.

Who It Is For

Anyone with a camera that has continuous autofocus and a lens of 200mm or longer. It suits beginners who want to learn flight photography properly, and experienced photographers who want to sharpen up before a raptor trip.

How We Work Around Them

The colonies are on buildings and we photograph from public streets and squares. We do not approach nest holes and we do not use playback. The birds take no notice of people below; our job is to keep up.