This evening we visited our usual site for Nightjars. A full moon had been predicted and we were hoping this would encourage more activity than normal. We arrived around 9pm and walked along one of the main tracks. By 9.10pm we had already had a short burst of "Churring". As I was walking the track I managed to add Woodcock to my year list when a single bird flew overhead. As we reached the crossroads the real action began. It was only 9.25pm and still relatively light, but the first Nightjar appeared. It was a male bird and it flew around just feet away calling and "Wing Clapping". As the evening progressed we had regular sightings of both male and female Nightjars. One individual even landed in a nearby tree several times during the evening.
We spent a wonderful couple of hours with these cryptically plumaged birds, without doubt, the best experience I have had with this species so far.
The photo below is of the only day time sighting of a Nightjar I have enjoyed so far. Seen at Middlesex Filter Beds in 2014.
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