speaking of Nighthawks...

Gemma Radko (gradko@smtpinet.aspensys.com)
Tue, 01 Sep 98 12:33:56 EST


Hi all,

I'm posting this for Bob Augustine...enjoy!

Speaking of Nighthawks, it has long been observed that in late August and early 
September on some evenings - especially those with hazy, red sunsets and after 
the passage of a cold front - numbers of Nighthawks can be seen in the late 
afternoon flying in a northwest direction. No one knows why they go in this 
seemingly paradoxical direction. It is true in New York and in Maryland at least 
- probably everywhere else too. At around 6:30, they mill around and then head 
south. Some can often be found later in full darkness, flying around bright 
lights to catch insects.

There has been concern in recent years that people are seeing fewer Nighthawks. 
However, there is evidence that their flight corridors may have become more 
restricted. Numbers like 1,540 recorded at Rye, NY on September 8, 1979 have 
seemed to some to be a thing of the past. That was until 3,674 appeared over 
Northampton, VA on August 22, 1991, the greatest flight ever recorded there. 
Where did they all come from? Where would you think the largest concentration of 
Nighthawks ever recorded would be? I'll bet you didn't say Cape Breton Island, 
Nova Scotia, but that was the place where, on August 25, 1968, that 10,000 were 
seen.

There is a substantial flight through the Washington, D.C. area for those who 
pick a good spot. I can attest to that after seeing 1,139 Nighthawks out my 8th 
floor apartment window in Rockville, MD, on September 2, 1985 - without the aid 
of binoculars or a view of more than one direction - east.

The 13th anniversary of that flight is tomorrow evening, so I'll be watching. So 
should you.

Bob Augustine

(posted for Bob by Gemma Radko)
gradko@aspensys.com