Another 'night' bird is the nightjar, though it's not exactly tuneful - Collins Pocket Guide likens it to a 'distant two-stroke motor-cycle' (perhaps that's the 'jar' bit).
On Sunday (2 August), BBC Countryfile had a lovely item about these, on Wisley and Ockham Common - go to https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000lj9g/countryfile-wisley-and-ockham and fast-forward to the last few minutes, after the weather forecast. Chairman Peter Shallcross had the same - indeed, even more - magical experience a bit closer to home: 'Local knowledge of wildlife is a wonderful thing: one summer evening, as dusk fell, we were directed with accurate grid references to Holt Heath, near Wimborne, to see nightjars. Even as we left the car we could hear the eerie churring call and soon saw several of these hawk-like birds flying close by, displaying and hunting for insects. 'On the way back to the car, we began to notice the green light of glow worms on either side of the track, probably twenty or more over a small distance. Seeing this spectacle was the highlight for me, as often the unexpected is. 'There aren't many records of glow worms in Wiltshire, so if you are lucky enough to see any please record it. There are several options for the general public to record any flora or fauna - you can find more about this on our Reporting page.' One of Abby Eaton's finest, I do think. I'm not posting this as one of the birdsong quizzes, as this is now August and birds mainly stop singing because the mating season is over and they feel a little weak after rearing their young, and also need to moult.
So - Abby says, 'This is a fledgling Whitethroat in that wild scrubby meadow off Hindon Lane. I was worried you couldn't hear its constant 'looking for comfort' whrbbbrrrr beeps as I took it with my big camera, but you can!.' I asked about the colour as it looks almost like a night-time shot, but Abby explained that it's very narrow depth of field footage taken in very bright sunshine against dark backdrop of trees. So not something I could achieve on my mobile - but maybe you could! Remember to click on the video and then bottom right to expand to full screen. |
Photo: Avocets (Izzy Fry)
The headers display photos taken by our members. Do get in touch via the Contact Form if you'd like to submit a photo for selection.
Archives
April 2024
Categories
All
|