08.07.2023 - Field Trip: Nightjar Evening

Leader and Reporter: Nick Edwards

A new venue for the WVBS Nightjar evening – Broadland Country Park was the place for our Nightjar quest. We met just before 9pm just off Haveringland Road.

A short walk (and it’s possible it is the shortest walk for any WVBS bird event!), and once at the watchpoint we waited for the Nightjars to begin calling. About 9.20pm we heard one bird make a very brief call, then a few more birds began churring (reeling) and then some frog-like calls which are
another characteristic call for this species. Sophie then spotted a Nightjar fly onto a nearby branch; she managed to locate it with her ‘scope, but unfortunately we were only able to see the tail of the bird as the rest of it was obscured by the trunk of the tree. More reeling and then some flights were observed by the group. And wing-clapping by one male – the beauty
of watching Nightjar is that it’s not just a flying display, it is also the incredible sound they produce. This reeling can be heard up to 1km away! We were treated to a bird reeling its heart out in a nearby pine tree which was only yards away from us. Then two Nightjars flew out of the pine and disappeared into the evening sky. On that note, our happy band made the short trek back into the car park.
​
Many thanks to all those who attended our Nightjar evening.