In Search of Nighthawks

Mt. Fagan as seen from Sycamore Canyon 1-21-2010

It was a busy weekend here and Sunday we just crashed and watched TV, but by Sunday evening I was itching to get out of the house and see some birds. I know that the nighthawks have been spotted in the area, but I had yet to see any for myself. Knowing that we used to see them all the time in Sycamore Canyon of Corona de Tucson, Gus and I decided to go for a drive and see if we could find some.

The sun is still shining and the air still warm and dry as we hop into the convertible. Gus heads for Old Spanish Trail and we wind our way along the Rincon Mountains and up through Vail in order to avoid the Pima County Fair Traffic on Houghton Rd. Here in Arizona they do their county fair in spring instead of autumn. I am guessing this is due to the weather, which is perfect at this time of year!

As we drive through Vail Town Center the road starts to climb toward the Santa Rita Mountains. Above us the sky is mostly clear. I am lost somewhere deep in thought as the miles slip by. Soon we are turning onto Harrison Road with the Mt. Fagan and the Santa Rita Mountains looming ahead. Gus cannot resist a drive past our old house and I see that the cactus garden we planted out front is still there and one cactus is blooming bright pink blossoms!

We head down to the park then and park our car and get out. While the park looks pretty much the same, there are a lot more people and dogs in it. Someone has a whole team of huskies! They look so out of place here in the desert. I grab my bins and notebook and we take of walking. Gus soon goes ahead of me while I linger to look for birds, but all I am seeing are Mourning Doves and White-winged doves, and a lone Cactus Wren. In the desert I hear Curve-billed thrashers and Gambel’s Quail.

I see a desert cottontail hiding just off the path wanting to get out onto the lush green lawn of the park, but still leery of all the people and dogs. Behind it a jack rabbit looks like a giant as it dwarfs the smaller rabbit with its huge feet, legs, and ears. While I am enjoying seeing these creatures, it is still not what I came to see! I scan the park, the desert, and the sky for nighthawks, but see none. I finish my circuit around the track and make it back near the parking lot. By now Gus has done several laps and the sun has set. People have left the park and we are just about the only ones left. As I wait for Gus to come around again I scan the desert for nighthawks and find a Great Horned Owl perched atop a tall saguaro instead. Its silhouette looks like an eared lump against the tangerine sunset! The temperature has dropped quite a bit by now but we still leave the top down as we get back into the convertible. We drive away from the park and Sycamore Canyon without seeing a single nighthawk. I find this distressing since I know they used to be here on a regular basis. I ask Gus to drive by Road Runner Market at the junction of Houghton and Sahuarita Roads as it has numerous street lights and often there are nighthawks hunting for insects here. We drive east on Sahuarita Road, then turn south on Houghton where Gus does a u-turn and we are now facing north. All this time I have been scanning the sky overhead for nighthawks to no avail. I have not seen one. As we wait at the stop light in the left turn lane to drive down to Sahuarita I suddenly see motion across the street from us on the northeast corner of the intersection. This is not a nighthawk. It is a large raptor, an owl, but too pale for a Great Horned Owl. I train my binoculars on the bird, which has landed on a fence post low to the ground, and discover it is a Barn Owl! With no one behind us we sit through three changes of the light while I watch this magnificent raptor as it turns its head from side to side searching the ground below for prey. We finally make the turn and drive away without knowing if the owl got to eat tonight. As Gus turns the car west I am smiling like a Cheshire Cat moon in the night.

All along the ten or more miles to Sahuarita I am looking for nighthawks in street lights to no avail. We spend about 30 minutes or more in the grocery store before getting back into our car to head home. I ask Gus to drive through Rancho Sahuarita as we head north. The paved road snakes through the development with street lights scattered here and there. It is as we are nearing the end of the road that I see a well lit parking lot off on my right. As Gus drive forward suddenly I see the ghostly flash of a bat-like body as it moves in and out of one of the street lights! Nighthawks! “Gus!” I yell, “I think I just saw some nighthawks!” My patient husband turns the car around and we drive back to the parking lot. Sure enough, as we park beneath one of the lights we see the nighthawks swooping and fluttering like giant moths hawking for insects.

We sit there in the darkness, bathed in the glow of street lights and watch the birds swoop, dive and flutter. Their erratic flight is so unpredictable. Their bodies so cryptically colored, yet I can see their notched tails streaming out behind them, and the white or buffy patches in their wings. We get mostly Lesser Nighthawks here in Arizona, but it is possible to find common nighthawks as well. In the Lesser species the females have a buffy patch on their wings, instead of the white patch of the male Lessers or both sexes of Common Nighthawks.

I think I could have stayed there and watched those birds all night long, but after ten to fifteen minutes we finally left. It is hard for me to drive away in this cool night air, because I am still concerned for this species of bird. I did not see very many insects in the street lights. When there was a brief bit of insect activity suddenly eight nighthawks came into the lights at once, then they were gone, and so were the insects. Until that one moment Gus and I had only see four nighthawks at the same time. The nighthawks seem to prefer the lights that were nearest the open desert beyond. I did not see them hunting at any of the lights nearer the center of the parking lot.

So, it was with a somewhat sad smile that I left the birds behind me as Gus drove away. Here in Sahuarita the temperature had dropped to 65F! But, by the time we got back up to Tucson it was back to 75F! That just shows you the effect of the “heat bubble” created by the city. I am happy to have finally seen my nighthawks, but a bit concerned about their population. I know so many insects are being poisoned by pesticides and along with them, the wildlife that feed on them. We must find a way to live with these creatures that share the earth with us. All of our lives are enriched by their presence.

Happy Earth Day!

Great Horned Owl in Sycamore Canyon 8-8-2008

• Nighthawks-see more photos here
• The Deer on the Hill-my Earth Day Poem
• Kathie’s Birds-my main blog

Note: All photos in this post are from my archives from when I lived in Sycamore Canyon between 2007 and 2010. While I no longer live in Sycamore Canyon, I do have friends who do. I did not have my camera with me on this drive. Besides, it was soon too dark for photography! This post was originally posted on my Kathie’s Birds blog for Earth Day.

The Good-bye Chronicles Chapter 2: Ambivalence

July 5, 2010

We’ve been in the house all day and I just need to get outside so I ask Gus to take me for a ride before the sun sets. We head south on the Sonoita Highway as the sun dips behind the Santa Rita Mountains. The rolling hills around me are casting deep shadows as we drive past the possible future site of the Rosemont Mine. I can’t help but wonder if I go away, will this still be this way when I come back? Right now the gentle slopes rise unblemished to the sky, but for how long?

We pass over the crest of the hill and drop down on the south side. On my right is Greaterville Road and the way through Box Canyon to Madera Canyon. I know that there is good birding in there, but we will not be going that way at this time of night. Instead we pass the Border Patrol Checkpoint and turn left into Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. By now the sun has slipped beneath the horizon and all that remains is the soft glow of dusk. I immediately spot a Red-tailed Hawk in an old oak tree. I think he was in that same tree when I first came here 3 year ago. A Mockingbird flies up and lands nearby, its white wing and tail patches flashing as it flies. It is in no danger from the Red-tail, which eats mostly mammals instead of birds.

The rolling grassland of Las Cienegas is spread before us. We drive slowly down the dirt road with windows open, all senses alert. The air is much cooler here and I feel its coolness wash over me, cleansing me from the 100 degree heat of the day. We watch as the car’s thermometer drops into the 80’s and finally into the 70’s before we leave. Now, as we drive down the road I hear the soft twitter of sparrows, a thin “zeet zeet” in the grass, and some raucous chatter I do not recognize, nor can I find in the long grasses and fading light. What are you? Where are you? I just want to know who you are!

Lillian’s Eastern Meadowlark 7-5-10 

We only drive a little under 3 miles before we turn back for home. It has taken us an hour to do this and now twilight has descended around us. As we pause at the end of the road I can see Venus, Mars and Jupiter all lined up in the western sky. Their line is tilted upwards, as if pointing to the heavens. I feel my spirits lifted even as a sadness settles within my soul. This is such a great place to live. It is so beautiful here. The weather is great and the scenic beauty is outstanding. There are so many habitats, so many places to see. I have only lived here three years and I have barely scratched the surface.

When I was a teenager we always had spelling words to learn for a weekly spelling test in high school. One week the teacher gave us the word, “ambivalence.” I had never heard the word before but when I looked up the definition I was astonished. It became my word, my definition of how I feel much of the time. Ambivalence means to feel two strong conflicting emotions at the same time. This could be my middle name! It is how I am feeling right now. I do not want to leave this place, yet I am excited about new possibilities and new adventures. But how can I leave this beauty and this wild life? Has Arizona gotten into my soul and become my new love?

We stop at the Roadrunner Market in Corona de Tucson on our way home. It is pitch dark by now and Gus goes into the store while I step out and walk to the corner of the parking lot to watch Lesser Nighthawks whirl through the sky. They are hunting insects drawn to the bright street lights at the intersection. Their bat-like flight is erratic at best as they fly in and out of the darkness. I stand there silent and alone drinking it all in, trying desperately to preserve this memory in case I need it on some cold New England winter night to get me through.

Ambivalence.

This story begins in the previous post: Knowing

I Will Sip Sweet Wine in the Desert

Sycamore Canyon Sunset 6-14-10

It’s the end of another busy day in Sycamore Canyon. All day I have watched the birds in my yard feeding their young, feeding themselves, and drinking from the water fountain or birdbath. Water is very scarce at this time of year and it will often draw birds into the yard that seeds and suet do not. I saw an ash-throated flycatcher land on the block wall this afternoon but when it saw me it did not venture into the yard. I am still doing battle with ants but I think I have the bees outfoxed for now. The battle with the ants would be a bit easier of the Gila woodpeckers did not hang from the feeders and spill nectar on the ground or the table!

We have had a bit of a break from the heat here in Sycamore Canyon over the weekend and even today the air was comfortable in the shade. I love living here because I can be outdoors at almost any time of the year. The heat rarely drives me inside anymore since I can sit under my covered patio in the shade. I have amazing birds in my yard almost every day and now and then a few surprises to boot. The diversity of wildlife, plants and birds is absolutely amazing. Since moving here I have heard coyotes howl and Sonoran Desert toads sing. In the summer I watch nighthawks and purple martins flutter through the sky, in the winter I see raptors hunt my bird feeders and land within feet of my den window. In 30 seconds I can be out the front door and in the canyon walking amongst cacti, creosote bush, mesquite and Palo Verde. Red cliffs tower above me while deep sand and gravel crunches beneath my feet. I am lost and found in the desert. It is a place to love.

Mt. Fagan 6-14-10 

Tonight I will sit on the patio and sip sweet wine as the sun sets in the west casting its rose-gold glow onto the slopes of Mt. Fagan. I am thinking about my life here and all that it means to me.

Sweet Wine in the Desert 6-14-10

Sweet Wine in the Desert

I will sip sweet wine in the desert

While the nighthawks fly through the sky

And black-throated sparrows sing their silvery song

as the sunlight slips from the sky

‘till purple dusk over takes me

And the stars twinkle into the night

I will sip the sweet wine of the desert

As I slip into this desert life.

~kathiesbirds (6-14-10)

End of Summer Series: Skywatch Friday/Monsoon Night

Monsoon Night by Kathiesbirds 8-5-08 Nikon D80 18mm, 2.20 sec - F/3.5

We bought our new Nikon D80 in January, but this was my first attempt at photographing the night sky. It was the evening of August 5 and Gus had just arrived home from work. A summer storm was rumbling in the dark clouds above and Gus and I decided to sit outside and enjoy the show from beneath our covered patio. I set the camera on the night mode button and held it as still as possible, since we don't have a tripod for it yet. I didn't even dare to breath as I braced myself against the patio pillar and listened for the slow release of the shutter.

Lightening photo by Kathiesbirds 8-5-08 Nikon D80 18mm, 2.50 sec - F/3.5

This next shot is a little blurry, but I got lucky with the lightening, which was what I was trying to capture in thousands of mega pixels. The Monsoon makes the summer humidity bearable for me. It is the price I pay to live here and shots like this show you why I love it so.

Click on the link to view more Skywatch Friday Photos. Thanks to our gracious hosts, IMac, Sandy, Klaus, and Old Wom Tigley himself!

Visit Kathie's Poet Tree to see Skywatch Friday: God's Eyes

A Sky Full of Nighthawks

(Nighthawk photo by Gus 8-4-08; 70-300mm lens)

click on any photo to enlarge for a beter view

Click on the highlighted link to read the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Birdscope article about the decline of Common Nighthawks titled, Common Nighthawks Not so Common Anymore.

I’ve had enough of staying inside and avoiding the heat. I need to get out of the house. I need to go birding! But where can we go that is close by and cooler than the 100 plus temperatures we have been experiencing the pas t few days? A consultation with my Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona book yields a couple of possibilities. We decide to drive to Scotia and Sunnyside Canyons down Rt. 83, the Sonoita Highway to Parker Canyon Lake. The elevation is higher there, and I hope for cooler temperatures and a new adventure. As Gus makes sandwiches and we fill the coolers with lots of things to drink, I fill my head with visions of Buff-breasted flycatchers, Greater peewees, Sulfur-bellied flycatchers and Elegant Trogons. It is close to 11 by the time we get on the road.

(Rosemont Valley photo by 8-3-08; 18-70mm lens)

A puffy cloud sky hangs over us as we head south on the Sonoita highway. We leave the Sonoran desert behind us as we drive up over the pass near Rosemont junction, the location of the proposed mine. Once on the other side of the pass the land opens to a savannah-like grassland and I can’t stop exclaiming to Gus how green everything looks. All the trees are thick with new growth. Huge flower spikes rise from agaves. Wildflowers bloom along the edges of the road.

(Sonoita Inn photo by Kathie 8-3-08; Nikon D80, 18-70mm lens)

The road winds up and down and curves around before leveling off as we roll into Sonoita. We stop at the convenience store to use the restroom and buy a couple of snacks. Gas here in Sonoita is always close to $.50 a gallon more than in Tucson, which is 30 mile away. We are glad we filled up the gas tank yesterday. The Sonoita Inn sits at the east edge of the parking lot, a watcher of this crossroads. I get back in the car and we continue south on Rt. 83. From here on out its all new territory for both of us.

(Elgin vineyards photo by kathie 8-3-08, Nikon D80, 18-70mm lens)

We drive through more waving grasses lush from the Monsoon rain. Horses and cattle graze in fenced pastures along both sides of the road. Soon the land starts to buckle into rolling hills. Houses nestle into the hillsides as we gain elevation with each dip and hill. We cross the first of many washes, all with at least a damp skim of water still lying across the road. Soon I spot a vineyard on a particularly high plain and Gus pulls over for me to take some pictures. All around me the blue sky is popping with billowy clouds.

(danaus gilippus photo by Kathie 8-3-08 Nikon D80, 18-70mm lens)

The green grass and red earth provide an interesting contrast. I step out of the car to find a monarch butterfly warming itself on the ground near a puddle. Its orange wings and black body is dotted with white spots. In the vineyard I hear all kinds of birds squawking and chattering and twittering away, but they are hidden in the grapevines and I can’t find a one to identify through my binoculars.

( Rt. 83 in Elgin photo by Kathie 8-3-08; Nikon D80, 18-70 mm lens)

The road takes a 90 degree turn just a mile or less up ahead. It is the first of many 90 degree turns on this road.I get back in the car and we travel on.

(Horses photo by kathie 8-3-08; Nikon D80, 18-70mm lens)

Soon green rolling hills give way to oak and juniper hills. Deep ravines now drop off on either side of us. We pass a sign informing us that we have entered the Coronado National Forest. I see a herd of horses grazing along a dirt road that juts off to the right. Gus pulls in and crosses the cattle guard so I can take a picture. The horses continue to graze with foals at their side, unconcerned by our presence. Once Gus turns the car around I hand the camera to him and he is the photographer for the rest of this trip.

(Sky full of Nighthawks photo by Gus 8-3-08; Nikon D80, 70-300mm lens)

We take yet another dog-leg turn and pass the road that goes to the east gate of Fort Huachuca, a military base in Sierra Vista and the location of yet another birding hotspot on my list of places to visit. Garden Canyon can only be accessed from the Fort. According to Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona you have to provide identification and get a pass to bird at this location. But we continue south and as we come up over a rise I see some kind of birds diving and swirling in a large gathering over this plateau. While we have been seeing birds all along the edges of the road as we’ve traveled, the road has been too narrow and winding with no shoulders for us to pull off and observe what we are seeing. Here the road is relatively straight for ¼ mile or so and the pavement is bordered by grassy shoulders and gravel patches. Gus pulls over on the northbound side and we exit the vehicle. My mouth drops open for I cannot believe what I am seeing.

l. Lesser Nighthawk

2. Lesser highthawk

3. Lesser Nighthawk?

(All Nighthawk photos taken by Gus with the 70-300mm lens set in sports mode.)

Above us the sky is whirling with nighthawks. Though it is close to 2 pm. I count at least 35 to 40 birds whirling and diving in the sky. I train my binoculars on them while Gus gets out the camera and starts to shoot. I wonder if I am seeing lesser nighthawks-more common here in AZ, or Common nighthawks, less common but still present here in the southeast corner of the state. The Common Nighthawk is larger with a more pronounced bend to its wing. White bars cross the wing closer to the bend on the Common and closer to the tip on the Lesser. The Common is supposed to have a more forked tail while the Lesser has a white tail band in the males. Both species are more active at night or dawn and dusk, but both can be seen during the day. The Lesser is supposed to be solitary, the Common can form loose flocks when foraging or migrating (Sibley).

4. Lesser or common?

(5. Lesser Nighthawk)

(6.Common Nighthawk?)

Well, these birds are flying in the middle of the afternoon is a large, loose flock foraging low over brushland. Some have pointed wings, some have straighter wings. Some have a white band on the tips of their tails, others do not. Some birds call out with a buzzy “pzeent” (Kaufman) or “BEEEzrh” (Sibley) while other birds are silent. I never hear anything like the “rapid, tremulous trill” described in National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America or other bird guides which is how the voice of the Lesser Nighthawk is described. Perhaps I am seeing both.

7. Lesser nighthawk

At the moment I am mesmerized by this whirling flock. Birds dart from all direction. They fly low ever our heads, so close we can hear their wind in their wings. It’s hard to choose a bird to focus on since the flight is so rapid and erratic and their flight paths keep crossing one another. With my mouth open as I stand gaping at the sky I must look like I am trying to catch insects along with the birds. I soon feel the dryness of leaving it open for so long and shut my mouth using only my eyes to look and wonder. Soon the flock moves loosely northward and Gus puts down the camera while I put down my bins.

8. Lesser Nighthawk

“You want a sandwich,” Gus asks? We decide to eat right there on the side of the road. Before we leave the birds make one last foray overhead before disappearing for good. As we continue southward towards our destination we are watching dark clouds gather beyond the mountain ridge. We cross several more washes before reaching a series of switchbacks that lead us up towards Parker Canyon Lake and Forest Rd. 48 which will take us to Sunnyside and Scotia canyons. As we are ascending this final bit of pavement a long stream of cars and campers is heading north down the hill. Just as we reach the top the lightning flashes over head and we hear the roll of thunder in its wake. It’s time to give it up and head back out of the mountains before we are trapped by flooding washes and have to spend the night in our vehicle in the Huachuca mountains.

(Parker Canyon Lake photo by Gus 8-3-08; Nikon D80, 70-300mm lens)

Gus turns around at the Lake View parking lot of Parker Canyon Lake and jumps out to snap a few hasty photos. I spot a Cassin’s kingbird in a tree down slope from where we are parked. Turkey vultures tilt overhead as we jump back in the car. The temperature gauge that is built into our vehicle’s electronics reads 72 degrees. It falls to 70 at one point as we race down the mountainside. We splash through the low flowing water of washes, grateful that is has not risen yet. With the temperature so cool, we have the windows open as well as the sky roof above us. Fresh air pours in and the wind whips our hair every which way. I can see the dark cloud in the rear side mirror. Sometimes I see a lightning strike. I feel as if I am in a dream, or as if I am simultaneously watching a movie and participating in it. Gray light changes to sunlight as we outrun the storm. The temperature rises rapidly once we have passed Sonoita. About 15 miles from home we roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning once again, but as we drive up the road to Sycamore Canyon a dark cloud looms behind Mt. Fagan. It will be night before the rains reach us, but they do, and when I let the dog out during the night the steamy smell of damp desert is carried in on a breath of air.

Credits: Many thanks to the Kaufman Field Guide to the Birds of North America, The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Western North America and National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America for information used in this blog post.

So, what's your guess about the nighthawks? I'd appreciate opinions and info in trying to decide just what I was seeing today. The birds with the straighter wings and white tail bands are field marks of lesser nighthawks. The bent wings, more strongly barred breasts, and group foraging suggest the Common nighthawk, along with the vocalizations I heard. I've numbered the photos to make commenting easier. I think the top photo may be a Common Nighthawk. Please add your comments below.

NIGHTHAWK! (Skywatch Friday)

Lesser Nighthawk: Photo No. 8 in series of 9 all taken by Kathie June 12, 2008 @ approx. 7:30 a.m. MST in Sycamore Canyon Wash. All photos shot with the Nikon D80 70 -300mm zoom lens set in sports mode. All photos copyright of Kathiesbirds 2008.

Lesser Nighthawk No. 1

I got it! For those of you new to this blog, a few weeks ago I posted this entry berating the fact that I could not get a shot of a Nighthawk. Well, dear sweet husband gallantly said, I'll get that photo for you honey, and this Nighthawk Photo was his attempt. I love the artistic quality but you really can't see the bird. But, yesterday morning when I was out in the wash shooting pictures of Purple Martins, this beauty was still up hunting insects and he came swooping and gliding right towards me and then past. Look at the whole series to get the feeling of this magnificent flyer who eats a pile of insects every night. Nature's insect control in not harmful to the environment and so much more fun to watch!

Lesser Nighthawk 2

Lesser Nighthawk 3

Lesser Nighthawk No. 4.

Lesser Nighthawk 5

Lesser Nighthawk 6




Lesser Nighthawk 7






Lesser Nighthawk 9

Lesser Nighthawks are cepuscular birds, hunting insects mainly at dawn and dusk. The Lesser Nighthawk, also known as the Trilling or Texas Nighthawk, is different from the more common nighthawk in range and voice. Lesser nighthawks hunt and breed over semi arid desert and grassland. the female lays 2 eggs on the ground and stays with them to incubate the young. While she tends to the eggs, the male hunts and brings her food. Nighthawks belong to a group of birds called Goatsuckers on the mistaken belief that, with their wide mouths, they sucked milk from goats. To learn more about Nighthawks visit:

All About Birds Online

Wikipedia

Whatbird




To see more entries visit Skywatch Friday hosted by Wigger's World.

Nighthawk Photo

When Gus read my post on Friday he said, with all the confidence of a husband and a male, "I'll get you a nighthawk photo honey." So, off we went to the park Saturday evening to get a photo of a nighthawk. It was awhile before they showed up. We watched the sunset, the shadows fade into twilight and then, here they came, swooping over the field. Gus tried all different settings, snapping away. This was the only shot that came out.

(Nighthawk photo by Gus 5-17-08)

Can you see the fluttery wings with white spots at the corner of the photo? The nighthawk swooped in front of one of those inflatable jumping things that parents rent for their kids. Someone had one set up at the edge of the park. This is the only shot that came out. We had at least 40 black voids on the digital when we got home. Still, I like the abstract quality of the shot and I certainly appreciate Gus' valiant effort. Apparently we are on a steep learning curve here. We'll try again. Meanwhile, I am throwing down the gauntlet. Can you capture a good photo of a nighthawk? Send me your link and I'll add it here!

Seabrooke sent this link to her photo of a Common Nighthawk.

Skywatch Friday: Nighthawk

(Photo taken May 6, 2008 at 6:45 p.m. MST by Kathie with a Nikon D80)

Nighthawk

Nighthawk dipping in the evening sky
Night hawk flying with two white eyes
On the tips of your wings as you dart by
Night hawk winging through the sunset.

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 28, 2008)

Do I wish I had a picture of a Nighthawk? You bet. But have you ever tried to take one? They dart erratically in the low light of dusk chasing insects, so, a sunset is the best I can do for now. Believe it or not, this is part of the same sunset as last week's photo. It was a good night for Skywatch photos! To view other Skywatch Friday photos visit our host,Tom Wigley at Wiggers World.