BIRDING TO THE EDG

If you want to discuss birds with diverse nesting habitats and foraging habits, then this is the right winged creature to point out. Common Nighthawks breed all over the United States (lower 48) except for the southwest. There are other nighthawk species only in Florida and southwest USA. Outside of those areas the bird pictured above is the most likely candidate if encountered in the field. The ability to catch insects on the wing, like the Common Nighthawk, requires the most agility and speed out there. Common Nighthawks have adapted the long, thin, and pointed wings seen below in order to achieve the title of "Aerial Daredevil." Their flight is erratic at best as they can contort their bodies on a moments notice to catch their prey. I have heard many discussions of Common Nighthawks being nocturnal (especially since they are a nightjar/nighthawk), but this species can be found active at all hours and are primarily crepuscular (active early and late in day). I have seen them BOOM in the middle of the day as well as resting. On this day when visiting the Pawnee National Grasslands, a fellow Nikon Birding ProStaffer Bill Schmoker spotted this guy on the pole. As we photographed him a few times we noticed that there were three more in close proximity. A family group, no doubt!

They are pretty tame in the middle of the day, but the nighthawk above took off and gave us a nice aerial display. Its so cool to see even if you've seen it before. Bill and I were challenged to snap shots in mid-air, but this was a difficult task. The shot below was taken during one of "Booms," (primarily for breeding display only) the bird performed. This bird was mainly feeding, but the drastic turn in mid-air disturbed the flight feathers giving off the loud "Boom!" Wicked cool stuff! Also, keep an eye for their extremely large gape which they open up when diving for insects!

Lesser Nighthawk is found throughout the southwest and south Texas, but has a white primary bar that extends farther out on the wing. Can you see the white bar on the primaries of the bird above? Lesser's is farther out toward the tip. In flight, Lesser has shorter wings and more rounded wingtips. Also, there is the voice which is completely different giving off a long trill. In Florida, the Antillean Nighthawk is extremely difficult and it best told apart from the Common by voice. The voice always tells the tale.


These birds nest on any flat ground they can find. Common Nighthawks are on the move down south now, but be sure to check out your local Wal-Mart next time, because they love to nest on big structures like that as well.

These shots were taken with a Nikon D200 and a 300mm F4 Nikkor lens. Other equipment used was a Nikon 7x42 EDG binocular and a 82mm Nikon Fieldscope with a 30x wide-angle eyepiece.

Thanks for reading everyone and feel free to post questions if you have them. Cheers!