Evening visit to Mutter’s Moor

This year the group was especially looking forward to our annual nightjar event as the weather was looking very good, with a good turnout of 16 like-minded people. We made our way across the heath at Mutter’s Moor to see what other species of birds and wildlife were present, whilst we waited for sunset and the nightjars to appear. It wasn’t long before we saw and heard a great spotted woodpecker and the cooing of wood pigeons in the trees. As we moved on, a Dartford warbler unexpectedly appeared, to the delight of the people at the front of the group.

We ventured further onto the moor and waited amongst the vibrant colour of the heather for the first sounds of the nightjars calling, which didn’t take too long. The sounds were coming from all directions. It wasn’t long before we had our first sight of a male flying, with several more following shortly afterwards. Pleased with ourselves, we made our way back in the dark to the car park. On the way, we spotted a couple of glow-worms. Some of us had never encountered them before, which made the evening even more rewarding.

Richard Winfield

5 bird species seen: Nightjar, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Carrion Crow, Dartford Warbler.