I've spent most of the last three weeks out of state. Not birding, either. For the last two, I was in St. Paul, Minnesota. There, a pair of Common Nighthawks -- the male still giving its booming display as recently as 8/24 -- entertained me at dusk for several nights in a row. One night (8/26), the pair turned into six nighthawks, and all disappeared.
My trip to Minnesota last three days longer than it ought to have, as my car overheated on the way out of town. I got my car back yesterday and today, my partner, dogs, and I did the drive in a single sitting. A Common Nighthawk in Morgan County, on I70, around 5:40 PM, thirteen hours after we left St. Paul, welcomed me back. I spent my first thirty minutes home, before unpacking my car, watching for nighthawks. Around dusk, one came out low, seeming to emerge from a tree in my neighbor's Centennial, CO yard (Arapahoe County). It went southward (which would direct it toward University & Arapahoe in Centennial, Cherry Knolls Park, and the Big Dry Creek). I headed south, watching from my front yard. Four more went by. While watching over there, another nighthawk came through my backyard low. It seemed to fly into -- not around -- one of my elm trees, but by then the night was too dark to refind it among the leaves and branches. Maybe it's perched up there. Maybe its flight just took it out of my view from the front. I like to think it's there, and it seemed to approach as if landing. If I indeed peel myself out of bed around dawn tomorrow, as planned, I'll head to the back. Before food or coffee even, nighthawks. - Jared Del Rosso Centennial, CO -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/83550212-7de3-4b91-8249-751c90860276%40googlegroups.com.
