Date: 7/23/22 7:18 pm From: Lynn Wohlers <wohlers13...> Subject: [Tweeters] Common nighthawk and nestlings
I stumbled on a Common nighthawk this afternoon on Fidalgo Island (ACFL Sugarloaf area). The presumed female jumped from the nest to a spot about 5 ft away and did a distraction display while hissing at me. I was only 3 ft away when this happened and hadn't seen her. She held her wings out, stayed close to the ground, and hopped around while hissing. I felt bad about disturbing her and slowly backed away while taking as many quick photos as I could, including a few of the two nestlings huddled together on the ground. The sighting was a huge surprise since I've never seen one in 4 years of living here - but I don't go out much at night, either. ebird wasn't loading properly so I couldn't tell whether there have been recent sightings in Fidalgo - does anyone have information about nighthawks in this area? It also seems late for unfledged nestlings but I'm not knowledgeable about the species. (photos on request)
