Gabriola Hills are Alive with Buzzing Nighthawks

Guest post © Vicky Scott

After sunset many hill tops and cliffs around Gabriola ring with the buzzes and booms from the calls and dives of the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor). My favourite site is the open space around the Gabriola Clinic that allows for easy listening and viewing.

Spotting them can be difficult as they dash and dart over the trees in search of insects. Similar in shape to a barn swallow but larger (9.5” long with a 24” wingspan) compared to the barn swallow (6.75” long with a 15” wingspan). Their most distinguishing feature in flight are the white bars near the outer edges of their wings. In addition to their buzzing calls you may hear a sound like a mini sonic boom as air rushes through their feathers during their rapid diving displays to attract mates and deter predators.

Nighthawks are a member of the Night Jar family that includes the Whip-poor-will, Poorwill, Pauraque and Chuck-will’s-widow. Unfortunately, these insectivores are rapidly declining primarily due to agricultural and climate-related reductions in their food source. Here’s how we can help.

• Avoid use of pesticides
• Provide insect habitats, such as letting your grass grow longer
• Lower your carbon footprint and support policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Provide safe nesting sites by keeping dogs on a leash in the woods during nesting season (May-August) as Nighthawks are ground nesters
• Or provide your own nesting sites as they like flat, gravel-covered roof tops

Fun facts:

1. Despite the name, Nighthawks are not strictly nocturnal, nor do they resemble hawks.
2. Their flight patterns more closely resemble bats, hence their nickname ‘bullbat’.
3. They have one of the longest migrations of all North American birds, with some migrating from as far as Argentina to the NWT.