June 30, 2005
Night and day hawks
This year, both Common and Lesser Nighthawks are frequenting Meiss Road in Sacramento, providing a rare opportunity to compare these similar species. Sami, Karen, Joan and I drove up last night, and were treated to pretty good flight views of Common and fantastic looks at a pair of Lessers. The male Lesser was particularly obliging as he sat on a fence post in broad daylight!
For comparison, a perched Common Nighthawk photographed last weekend can be seen here.
After running into John Sterling, we listened for Western Screech-Owl and watched the planets (Jupiter's moons and Saturn's rings were clearly visible through the scope) before heading home. It's too darn hot here - when I got back at 11pm the temperature inside the house was 85F!
The Cooper's Hawks at Joan's house have finally fledged, so I headed over this morning to see if I could photograph them. Seems like 8am is too late in the day, and I was only able to spot one fledgling, which spent most of its time dozing. I think an adult came in to feed one of the hidden young, which caused this bird to perk up temporarily.
