I recently moved to Augusta County near the western slopes of the Blue Ridge
parkway and a few short miles SSW of Rockfish Gap. In late August and into
September, good numbers of COMMON NIGHTHAWK are observed in this area during
their migration.
On the Thursday the week before Monday, September 1, while taking a 5-minute
breather out on our back deck, I got glimpse of tern-like birds flying over
- nighthawks. A good number of them came in that I was able to see good
details without binoculars! That night I managed to see approximately 100
pass over. The numbers have dwindled but this evening while enjoying a dip
in the pool after a sweltering afternoon at the hawk watch, a small group of
Common Nighthawks flew over around 6 p.m. They were actively feeding on the
many insects flying about, and some swooped down close directly overhead.
All toll, there were approximately 15 in one group. Several more
individuals flew in and best estimate with all the stragglers, we had
upwards of 25 in our immediate neighborhood.
Maybe tomorrow night I will plan ahead and have my camera set up on the back
deck, just in case.
Brenda Tekin
Charlottesville, VA
Brenda's Nature Photography, including Birds of Virginia -
<http://www.birdsofvirginia.com> www.birdsofvirginia.com
<BLOCKED::mailto:bt8x@xxxxxxxxxxxx> brenda@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx / (434)
962-4936
"Leave behind what you find; if you must take something, take pictures."
