Date: 6/14/26 1:23 pm From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Common Nighthawk(s) update on what's going on
I was not at the nighthawk show yesterday evening, so I am hearing a bit of news all a bit second-hand. The timing of the appearance of the calling, displaying male, and how long it lasted, all sounds very, very similar to the previous evening's show, varying by perhaps less than five minutes start to finish. I also heard that a few folks think the Common MAY have been diving on a Lesser Nighthawk, but I am not sure how solid that is. I gather there was also a calling Lesser there as well for sure, but don't know if a Lesser was definitely actually seen or not. But the previous evening there were multiple (pair?) of Lessers present.
There is a possible subtle-but-important twist to what's going on. And that is: Is the male Common even roosting the day in the general area where the show is taking place? Or is it coming from much farther off, first appearing hundreds of yards away to the south/west over the path heading back a ways toward the cars, and then moves to the "usual" area, where it displays and calls for over 20 minutes. But displaying to whom?????
Going back to the first evening discovery by Andrew N., he of course clearly had two birds flying around together. One the calling, displaying male Common, The second bird he seems to have photo'd as well, but more poorly in poorer light, and his so-so photos do appear to show a Common based on wing-patch location and wing shape, and a less-bright throat--suggesting indeed a female. But is there any chance it's the the same male farther away and in poorer light and so the throat color is misleading??
So, the $50,000 question clearly should be: Is there absolutely, positively, definitively a female Common present, or is this a bachelor, love-struck, screwed-up, male Common who is displaying to Lesser Nighthawks, which are certainly also present. We may all have our impressions of what we glimpsed/saw/heard, and our "thoughts" or our "gut" tells us it's Scenario X, but this is such a significant record that what is needed is absolute, definite, clear evidence that we truly have an extant PAIR of Common Nighthawks and not just a crazy bachelor male.
--Paul Lehman, San Diego
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