Date: 7/26/26 9:54 am From: Ruth Stearns via groups.io <ruthstearns...> Subject: Re: [NEBirds] Jefferson County nightjars
That makes sense Joe. I wasn't sure if July was too late. For at least a couple of years we did a road in far SE Nebraska which had both species but I see it was late June to early mid July. Good to know. On another note, I was reading online that CWWI's are outcompeting EWWI's, in part because they are larger, so much so that they apparently can eat whole small passerines in air if need be. (source was Birds of the World) Eeks!
Thanks for the input!
Ruthie On Sunday, July 26, 2026 at 10:15:01 AM CDT, Gubanyi,Joe via groups.io <joe.gubanyi...> wrote:
Ruthie,Thanks for sharing your nightjar findings along River Road. I think your numbers were low because of the time of year. The Nightjar Survey Network (https://www.nightjars.org/) survey windows for Nebraska are 23 May - 8 June and 21 June - 7 July based on moon cycles. July 25 is well past those windows although it fits the moon cycle. I suspect the nesting seasons for chuck-wills-widows and whip-poor-wills are done and so although birds are probably around, they are less inclined to give their territorial calls. Thanks for sharing your sightings. River Road is a special place for me. I discovered the nightjars there years ago working on the Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas. I was driving the road listening for owls and found nightjars instead.Joe
From: <NEBirds...> <NEBirds...> on behalf of Ruth Stearns via groups.io <ruthstearns...>
Sent: Sunday, July 26, 2026 7:29 AM
To: NEBirds <nebirds...>
Subject: [NEBirds] Jefferson County nightjars
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Although stinking muggy hot, Mike and I journeyed down to Fairbury after dinner last night to check out River Road for Chuck-wills-widows and possible Whip-poor-wills. We'd heard and sometimes seen them in prior years, the last time being late May of 2023. A swirling helter-skelter flock of about six Common Nighthawks was seen in Janzen on the way there, and another CONI as we started our journey up River Road, about 8:45 last evening.
The route we've done in the past is up River Road to 565 Avenue, going up 565 about a mile or so at the most, then when it's dusky enough, we start listening. We'll stop every quarter third of a mile or so, back down River Road, and then turn up 714 Road, listening til we're past the woods. In prior years we've heard mostly CWWI's on nearly every stop, and in 2023 at one stop was a EWPW.
But this time we only heard two or three chucks right at the start, on 565 Road, one quite loud to our northeast, and the other faintly back to the southeast. And heard another faintly calling to our east. but after that, from about 9:15 to 10:15 pm, nothing but a single Barred Owl. And nothing up 714 Road.
I don't know what to make of it, but thought I'd share our findings or lack thereof!
Oh yeah and the cicadas. We heard them too...incessantly. There must be more than one kind down there, maybe I should start learning cicada calls. :)
We stopped briefly at the park in case the Fish Crows might be around, but just Turkey Vultures coming in to roost.
Ruthie Stearns and Mike MattsonLlincoln, NE
