Flocks of Common Nighthawks

I took my oldest son to a practice at the church in Winter Park. The rain was just ending and as they began to get practice underway I decided to step outside to see if any birds would come out for a last snack of the evening.

I heard a couple of Blue Jays calling and then movement higher in the sky caught my attention. Flocks of birds were beginning to stream by. Crows? No, the wings were too streamlined. Gulls? I raised my binoculars to get a closer view. Even though night was fast approaching I could make out the bands on the undersides of the wings. These were Common Nighthawks! Dozens of them. More than that. I began counting.

Nearly 15 minutes and several groups later I counted over 400 birds. All were moving due South. I have never seen so many Nighthawks in my life. It was pretty amazing. I didn't have my camera with me and the pictures would have been poor, anyway. The only shots I have of Nighthawks was from a small flock that came out in the middle of the day.



That will give you an idea of the bands on the underside of the wing that gave away the species despite the darkening skies. Looking back, I find it interesting that none of the birds made a sound as they passed overhead. Usually Nighthawks call in flight.

Work Birds

Work is crazy busy right now. Still doesn't keep me from staring out the large window right in front of me and 'birding' as I work. Makes me a little jumpy, though.

One thing I have been trying to confirm here is that Least Terns could be nesting atop one of the buildings here in the complex of industrial buildings. A couple days ago I found a happy sight right after work. I was always thinking the birds might be on a certain rooftop but that night I found a flock of terns circling and landing on the roof across the street! At last I had a confirmation and a single Least Tern flew over my smiling face.



A few minutes later, as I headed out towards home, a Killdeer stood on the grass next to a very full ditch. The rain was stopped for now but the area was about flooded. This is the first Killdeer I have seen here. Wonder where they might be nesting?



Another surprise this week was the small flock of Common Nighthawks that began zig-zagging past the buildings. Very exciting. Made me leap from my chair and try for some shots. Man, they are fast.



It is all I could do to even get a bird in focus in the distance. I loved hearing them calling as they pick off insects before drifting out of sight.



All kind of interesting birds fly by to break up the grind and it's not often one can bird in the air-conditioning. These days, that is very enjoyable.