16 September 2002
Just when you think you have everything figured out ,
nighthawks don't cooperate. After my big flight on September 3, they
essentially disappeared from my watch site. In eleven subsequent days of
observing I only had 16 birds and on 4 days I didn't see any,including the
period from last Wednesday to Friday. On Saturday, 9-14 I saw one. So I
thought this was exactly the same pattern as two years ago.
I watched tonight mainly to discover where the Chimney Swifts which
once roosted nearby had moved. To my surprise I saw nine nighthawks, one
group of 7 and 2 single birds, so this year may be similiar to 1999, another
drought year, with small flights in late September and early October. I am
still 25 nighthawks short of my 3 year average.
Paul Woodward
Fairfax City, VA 22032
grackling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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