Here are some photos from a Nightjar walk that I led at Devon Great Consols, the old arsenic mine near Gunnislake in the Tamar Valley, on 14th July. Fortunately this was the first suitable evening for some time, and we were rewarded with good views of two males, with extended periods of 'churring' close by. Warm, muggy evenings with plenty of moths on the wing are the best times to look for Nightjars, so needless to say there have been very few opportunities over the last month or so, and I dread to think what the torrential rain has done to these ground nesting birds this season. This particular night was just right - overcast but warm and calm. After the show we had an atmospheric walk back through the woods in the dark.
Thank you to the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for organising this event.
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ReplyDeleteMy recording from the same site, a little while after your walk.
ReplyDeleteThough I recommend anyone who has not heard a nightjar, to wait to hear it 'live' for their first experience.
Thrushes first, then nightjar:
https://soundcloud.com/dashanna/ds500475-nightjars