If you know me then you know that I don't count heard only birds on my life
list. Which makes certain families very hard to add to my list. Well on Tuesday
I finished of all eastern Nightjars by seeing a Whip-poor-will.
It all started with dishes. My sister had been elected to do the dishes for the
night, know being a smart birder and a grand schemer I devised a plan to go
after the Whippie. I offered to do the dishes if my sister would drive me right
down the road and search for a whip-poor-will. She fell for it and i quickly
did the dishes.
The spot is on private property in Fluvanna County which I have full access to,
and is my go to spot to hear Whip-poor-wills. When we arrived I immediately
heard the Whip calling I the distance so I started down a trail towards its
position. It would stop every once in a while and I would stand and listen. We
were in the birds territory when a bird with white tail feathers landed in a
mid growth pine only ten feet in front of me. I just thought it was a towhee
and disregarded it. The bird then flew and caught several insects and remanded
in it a spot. I thought this as odd so I shined the light on this strange bird
in the pine. What was in front of me now was a large rainbow eye. It was a
Whip-poor-will! It hawked another insect and flew away. It flew over the path
several times allowing me to get a quick video of him. Lifer #374
Here is the link to the video
https://www.flickr.com/photos/115043594@N05/14208580747/
Good Birding,
Andrew
