One book leads to another...

Thursday, April 16, 2015

The Wild, Wild Best! N is for...



N is for Nighthawks!  While the name might lead one to believe these are Birds of Prey; any bird that eats other birds or animals, these motley-looking birds do not and are commonly seen near rocky desert outcrops, sometimes even sitting on deserted roads, waiting for insects to wander by so they can flutter up and have a meal. 

By day they’re known to roost horizontally (as opposed to other birds) on tree branches or in the shade of scrub brush on the ground. Their haunting cry is a familiar sound on moonlit summer nights or at dwindling dusk when they’re making their eerily silent low-flight rounds. Speaking of sounds, I could probably have done an entire A to Z Challenge on sounds of the desert at night!

They can be seen in daylight but other than distinctive white wing-bands, their camouflage is such that they blend in well with the desert floor.  Though it may seem as if these birds disappear from our region in winter, they are the only North American birds known to hibernate and can sleep for days and even weeks at a time. This particular fact was reportedly discovered by one intrepid birder who ran across a nighthawk he thought was sleeping, but when he returned several days later to find the bird had not moved he touched it, and the bird awoke! I think I’d have jumped out of my skin!

8 comments:

  1. That bird probably wasn't happy to be woken up like that.

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    1. As the story goes, the bird actually winked at him!

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  2. It’s officially the second half of A to Z. Time to catch that second wind, rest up on Sunday, then it’s that mad dash toward the finish line!

    Stephen Tremp
    A to Z Cohost
    N is for Numerology

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    1. Halfway? Yay! Congrats to all, including me, who've made it this far! :-) Write away, Stephen!

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  3. I would have jumped as well!
    But hey, they look beautiful :-)

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    1. Yes, and their moonlight glides are breathtaking. :-)

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  4. I wouldn't disturb a sleeping bird! It looks much bigger in full flight than I imagined from that first picture.

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  5. Ha! I wouldn't either, unless I thought it had died and deserved a proper burial. ;-)

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