At the end of last summer, the family and I were headed into town one evening after sunset. As we passed a hayfield that is home to a camera-shy American Kestrel, I noticed a large group of birds over the field. There was only enough light to tell that they were flying about erratically, catching insects. I did make out some white patches on the wings that I had not personally seen before on birds.
They did not return to the hayfield the next evening; they must have been passing through on a migration.
Researching the ‘mystery bird’
I am not a “birder” with a broad knowledge of bird species, but when I see a well-marked unique stranger, I like to learn what it is. My hope was to see them again someday with better light and a camera in hand so I could identify them.
I am a member of the Facebook group “Georgia Wildlife and Landscape Photography.” We post photos of wildlife and landscapes with the county and date to assist others in knowing when the species may be seen in an area. Several days ago, I was looking through the group’s photo postings and spotted my mystery bird. It had swept-back wings with white wing bars.
I knew positively that it was my mystery bird when I saw the video that the member had also posted of the birds feeding over a sunflower field. The flights of the feeding birds had the same erratic patterns.
The member identified the birds as the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor). I hadn’t recalled seeing this bird before, so I looked it up. My research revealed that they are a medium-sized nocturnal bird of the Nightjar family. This explains why I hadn’t seen them; they feed in very low light. They have large eyes and mouths on their flattened heads to better catch insects in the low light.
Migration
Nighthawks begin their southbound migration in July, headed to Argentina for the winter. During migration, they are commonly seen in the evenings with a “burst of sunset feeding activities.”
This gave me hope that I might see the birds again soon as I knew that it was time again for their migration through North Georgia.
Just a few days later, I had stepped out on the front porch to let the dogs have some time in the front yard after supper and caught a glimpse of what I was sure was a Nighthawk above the house across the road.
They were here! I was sure of it!
I got the dogs back in and quickly changed into my camo. I grabbed my gear and was off on my bike to the hayfield a quarter mile down the road.
As I parked my bike, I began seeing the Nighthawks passing southward overhead in waves that were too high to get good pictures. I was disappointed but went ahead and snapped a couple of shots to confirm their identity. I could zoom in on the images on the camera display and see the white wing bars and flattened heads, definitely Nighthawks.
Camo, quick prayer, and a hayfield
A few more waves of nighthawks passed over as the sun got closer to the horizon, but they were still too high.
Then I noticed a group of a dozen or more drop down below the tops of the trees on the other side of the hayfield. They made a wide turn and came back through the hayfield and began feeding, as I had seen in the video.
I said a quick prayer of thanks to the Lord and headed out into the hayfield.
I was hoping that by being camouflaged and keeping a low profile, I wouldn’t disturb their feeding, and I was correct. The Nighthawks were flying all around me on my knees, sometimes coming within ten feet.
In my haste to get into the hayfield, I had left my spare batteries on the bike, but the one battery was enough to get plenty of images. I hope you enjoy them.
