This was one of my stranger encounters with the bird world, though I’ll preface my narrative by admitting that I don’t have a lot of experience with nightjars of any species so perhaps what this bird was doing wasn’t really so unusual. I just don’t know.
On September 7 at 9 AM (in case that info is significant in explaining the behavior) I was driving up to Buffalo Point on Antelope Island when I spotted this bird on the paved road. I thought it was road-kill because it didn’t move or fly off as I very slowly approached so I stopped and walked back to investigate.
1/1000, f/9, ISO 400, 500 f/4, 1.4 tc, natural light
It was a Common Nighthawk and it was squatted down smack-dab in the middle of the paint stripe on the side (not the middle) of the road. At first I just wanted some photos but after I took a few from a distance I began to worry about the bird. I figured it must at least be injured so I approached it thinking it might be a candidate for a rehab facility if its injury wasn’t serious. It didn’t budge a bristle, even when I got within about 3 feet from it. The only movement I noticed during the 9 minutes I spent with it was a very slight change in head position and the closing of its eye after it deemed me not to be an immediate threat.
At that point I figured this bird thought I couldn’t see it and that’s why it didn’t fly away. I know they’re slow to flush because they instinctively rely on their cryptic coloration for camouflage. So I got back in my pickup and drove the very short distance up to Buffalo Point and returned in less than 5 minutes. When I did, the nighthawk was gone.
What I thought was particularly interesting here was not only that the bird had chosen the road-stripe to rest on but that it had oriented its body perfectly lengthwise to the stripe. These birds do the same thing when they roost on a tree branch – orient their bodies lengthwise to the branch.
So, I guess I’m thinking that this nighhawk’s instincts took over and when it chose the road to rest on it picked the stripe in particular because it resembled a branch and oriented its body on the stripe like it would on a branch.
Amateur speculation on my part but once again I couldn’t help myself. There’s just something about behaviors that intrigues me…
Ron
When I summer camping in the Rockies with some Lakota friends doing hamblecya, I almost stepped on a couple of these guys. They blend into the rocks and don’t move…at least not until the last minute…if then! When they do fly, they make a noise that sounds like a fart!
The comments have really added (as they so often do) to this post. I do hope that the bird was neither injured nor starving and am (perhaps optimistically) assuming that its absence when you returned is a good sign. I hope so.
Comouflage ,location ,forshortening ,and repeated patterns through shifting depth of field … your photo made my evening as I checked out my email.. As a boy I loved watching them at dusk fly high over head making that BEEErzh sound at the end of a lazy summer day.
I have seen this before in Southern Utah, and also thought it was strange.
These are extremely skittish, you’re fortunate to have been able to get this.
Ron:
I don’t have much experience with Common Nighthawks either, but I do see them regularly in two locations that I visit. One is at Anahuac NWR in SE Texas where I often see one or two on the limbs of a tree only a few feet away from a nature trail boardwalk. These birds are not skittish, allowing people to walk past without a noticeable reaction. As you stated, the eyes are closed most of the time and it is tough getting a photo with eyes open.
Common Nighthawks nest in a sandy beach area that I walk through on my way to a mud flat. I don’t know the locations of their nests but they often fly near me and sometimes land nearby. When they do land, they seem unperturbed if I move a little closer for photos.
The point of this is to say that in my limited experience, Common Nighthawks and Belted Kingfishers are on opposite ends of the skittish scale and I am not surprised that the bird let you get close.
What was the temperature? Could the reflective properties of the white stripe be a factor in where the bird was perched?
Thanks, Dave. Your comment, my observations and some research I’ve done all indicate that they’re not particularly skittish and that they keep their eyes closed much of the time during daylight. I’m really thinking this bird wasn’t injured, especially since it apparently flew off.
I don’t remember the temperature but on a sunny morning in early September on the island I’m sure it would have been very pleasant and moderate – perhaps low to mid 60’s. I doubt that reflective properties would have had an influence at that time of day in early fall.
Interesting!
Thank you.
Yep, that’s what they do!!
The fact that it positioned itself so that the road coloration was on either side of it allowed it to be cryptic!
Instinct, DNA, behavior and evolution are fascinating to watch and record!
Excellent shot as usual! Thanks for sharing.
“Instinct, DNA, behavior and evolution…”
I liked how you put that, Dick. Exactly!
Fascinating! Perfectly camouflaged. All I know of this bird is its night time call over the city where I used to live– have never seen one, so thank you for the picture!
I don’t see them often either, Chris. But they’re pretty neat!
Tim and Mark, I’ve photographed these birds before and in my experience they keep their eyes closed most of the time when perched in daylight. It’s extremely difficult to catch them open so you can get a catch light.
One more thing I should have mentioned in my post. This road to Buffalo Point is very steep and winding and what little traffic would be on it that time of the morning normally goes very slow. And there’s a good chance that at that time of the morning I was the first one to drive the road. Personally, I’d be surprised if this bird had been hit by a car…
Hi Ron, I pick up and care for a number of birds every year that are injured by cars. The half closed eyes in the picture are common with raptors (although I don’t think nighthawks are raptors) that have head injuries, but are not killed in the collision with a windshield. Perhaps this one caught a glancing blow and was stunned. Great shot regardless. Mark
The first thing I noticed was the indent to the crop. The bird is laying on the ground, which I would think should hide the volume of her crop, but doesn’t. That with the fact she’s on the ground and allowed you to get so close makes wonder if she was exhausted and in the early stage of stavation. You were a threat and she closed her eyes. Even if she was “hiding”, it doesn’t make sense that she closed her eyes. So many types of hawks starve to death in their first year. My understanding is Nighthawks really only spend time on the ground to nest. I hope your interest in her “jump” started her brain and got back into the trees for saftey. Then again, I could be totally wrong, and she was just car watchin’. 🙂
Tim