The Ultimate Night Bird

Wendell and Julie of the Carmarthenshire Bird Club organised a walk this evening at Crychan Forest in the hope of at least hearing Nightjars.  To kill time about a dozen of us walked along the road trying to avoid an amazing plague of midges and see some birds.  Nothing unusual was noted but there were plenty of Willow Warblers and Blackcaps singing.  A Lesser Redpoll flew over calling and we also recorded Song & Mistle Thrush, Jay, Wren, Chaffinch, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Blackbird.




Nightjar - Photo by Roger Tidman


Almost on 10pm we heard our first Nightjar as a male came flying over the track so close you hardly needed binoculars and the white patches on its wings were very clear.  This bird repeated this once or twice and also sat at the top of a pine singing its mechanical song.  On one occasion a female appeared and they moved off together.  Later walking back to the car park two Nightjars flew over the road together and they may have been additional birds.  This was one of the best Nightjar evenings I can remember and however many times I see these fabulous birds I never tire of the experience.