RSPB Notes

As usual, before it got sufficiently dark for nightjars the time was spent walking up over the open heathland in search of any birds and taking in the magnificent scenery across the Bristol Channel.

Making a good start to the evening, large numbers of the Quantock herd of red deer were seen across the valley among the bracken and heather, and good view of stonechats and meadow pipits were obtained as well as a kestrel and a buzzard.

It seems that one of the favourite spots for seeing nightjars now is below the picnic area beside the car park. As the light faded nightjars were heard calling and the clever use of a pre-recorded nightjar trill soon encouraged them to make an appearance.

It was impossible to estimate just how many were calling but on several occasions there were two at a time flying over the heads of the observers.

This really strange bird is a summer visitor, arriving in Britain from the last week of April and leaving in August or September. It is usually found in open deciduous or coniferous woodland and woodland borders and shows a strong preference for felled woods and heaths that have a ground cover of bracken, hence its liking for Staple Plain.

At the end of the breeding season it makes its way back to East Africa, where it has been recorded up to an altitude of 6,000 feet in the mountains.

Another name for the nightjar is the goatsucker. This derives from the belief that the bird was a nocturnal robber that found its way into goat pens and sucked the teats of the goats, poisoning them so that the goats were blinded and their udders withered away. However, if the nightjar did in fact visit the goat pens, it was probably only to catch insects in flight, commonly found in such situations.

This remarkable bird has a song that can be heard from a great distance, and best be described as a sustained, vibrant churr' or jarring', hence the name nightjar.

Diary date: Saturday, July 22. Budleigh Salterton. Meet at map ref SY073820, 10am. Led by Audrey Howard (Taunton 490428).