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Monday, August 27, 2007

Common Nighthawks Migrating

At sunrise this morning at our property, Bobolink Farn in southern NH, we're hopeful that this will be the night when we see lots of Common Nighthawks migrating. The weather has been very hot and humind with southerly winds. Last night it cleared and a front with cooler temperatures and northeast winds came through.
This is more ideal Common Nighthawk migration conditions.

We also watch for ant hatches, where ants disperse. That usually happens this time of year and, in the past, we've seen migrating Common Nighthawks, who eat aerial insects, feeding on the ants. So far, no big numbers have been seen in southern New England. Nighthawks usually can be seen migrating in the later afternoon and early evening and they often follow river corridors. So if you're anywhere near a river tonight, look for the nighthawks. We'll be watching.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks very much for this reminder about Nighthawks ! This evening, along the Lake Michigan shore in SW Michigan, I saw groups of 11, 13, and 5 Common Nighthawks moving primarily south with a few little detours for dinner. It was so wonderful to watch them but without reading your post, I might have missed the show completely. Looking for shorebirds was the main goal today and of course I had the very helpful Stokes Beginner's Guide To Shorebirds with me...yes, that really was a Baird's Sandpiper ! It seems that you have guided me throughout this rewarding day of birding. Thanks !
I hope you saw many Nighthawks and other wonders today in New Hampshire.

Colleen said...

That's a beautiful view of your land. I wish I lived there. :)