This is a great capture. The nighthawk is not a hawk at all, but called a nightjar or a goatsucker, of all things. Whip-poor-wills are in the same group. They fly in the evening, and are excellent flyers, swooping low, cornering and rolling to catch the evening bugs. My father used to call them "bull-bats," but it seems only the oldtimers use that name for them any more.
@mbemis Thanks for informing me Mannie. Dang, I knew I should have double-checked with someone before drawing this conclusion. I shall retitle! Goatsucker sounds so awful though! :)
@kareenking I did not explain myself well. You were correct in labeling the picture as a Common Nighthawk. What I meant is that a nighthawk is different than a hawk--totally different families. The Common Nighthawk is in the goatsucker (nightjar) family. Sorry for the confusion.
Wonderful, unusual image, fav. We have Nightjars here too (southern England). Had a friend who became quite excited about them, they make a funny churring sound I think. Operate at dusk. They are a bit mysterious!!!
@mbemis Thanks so much for this information, Mannie. Very interesting to know. I came up with the Common Nighthawk label after doing a google search and seeing a photo that looked much like mine. It didn't offer any alternative names like the Goatsucker or Nightjar. This is one of the side benefits of this project - we learn soooo much! Thanks again.
