Tonight, August 15, we had a spectacular aerial show with Common Nighthawks, Tree Swallows and gulls. The nighthawks were swarming over our Curve Lake house. I would estimate 50 but it was difficult to count because of the irregularity of their flight. There were also about twenty gulls and 100 tree swallows at the same time. About the same number of nighthawks (45) as August 25th, 2012. In 2012, they all were flying on an easterly course over Kutang Island on Buckhorn Lake which made it easy to count them. I managed to snap a photo of tonight’s show to give you an idea of what one part of the sky looked like at any given time. Not a great photo for seeing details of the birds but it is more for the pattern of flights. The show lasted for about an hour.
The same flock (of 50 nighthawks) were flying and feeding above the straight-stretch between the Quarter Mile Gas Station and the Waste Transfer station in Curve Lake on August 20. They might be doing so every night, I’m not sure because sometimes I forget to look up. It is good to see though. I wonder if Curve Lake is an evening gathering place for the local birds.
David Beaucage Johnson, Curve Lake
Note: It is most likely that the nighthawks were migrating southward, despite the somewhat early date. A swarm like David describes with swallows and gulls often forms when birds are feeding on mating flights of ants. D.M.
Common Nighhawks over Buckhorn L. Aug. 15, 2016 – David Beaucage Johnson
Common Nighthawk (note white bars on underside of wings)
