Trip reports
Evening Nightjar hunt at Kings Wood
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Often one or another of us manage to miss something on our trips and tonight was no exception, the only difference being this time we missed it before we had even started.
Jez, our outdoor leader for the evening had been into the wood checking what was around, when he found a singing Wood Warbler which would have been a new bird for this year for most of us.
We all walked down the path to look for the Wood Warbler but unfortunately then could not either hear it or see it. Probably it had stopped singing by then and found somewhere to roost.
The birds we did find included Chaffinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Swallow, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Kestrel, Wood Pigeon, Crow and the distant call of a Pheasant. Phil managed to identify a Tree Pipit.
Most years we see Woodcock before we hear the Nightjars and hear the Nightjars before seeing them. This year was all the other way round. The first nightjar was seen flying across the corner of the main clearing. As we had split into two groups, Jez's group found a Nightjar sitting right in the middle of the path. The group tried to merge with the bushes at the edge of the path to watch it and after several minutes it flew up to take moths and it then settled back on the path again. A whispered mobile call brought the other group hurrying over but by then the Nightjar had probably realised we were watching and took off for another part of the clearing. It was then that we heard the nightjars churring from the branches of the trees. Eventually everyone saw and heard the nightjars but it was a real privilege to see the one on the path so well.
We then had roding Woodcock in the gathering gloom flying over the clearing as we made our way back to the car park.
Another successful annual trip for Nightjars.