Evening Nightjar Walk, Farnham Heath (10 June)
Warm and still, it was a perfect evening for a Nightjar walk, as 27 of us assembled in the car park at the RSPB’s Farnham Heath reserve in Surrey. We were also very lucky that the warden, Mark Crisp, had agreed to open the gates and walk round the reserve with us.
As we made our way through the woodland our attention was first drawn to a family of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, and we enjoyed watching a youngster doing some rather inexpert flying practice up and down a tree. Several Goldcrests flitted around above us but they were hard to see high in the canopy, while other birds heard nearby included Willow Warbler and Chaffinch. Mark pointed out a hole in a tree where Common Redstarts had nested although it seemed that the chicks had already fledged.
Farnham is a good site for Dartford Warbler, with 11 breeding pairs recorded in 2022. There was no sign of them at the first heathland area we visited so we moved on to a more elevated position where the first birds we saw popping up and down amongst the heather were Stonechats, together with a pair of Whitethroats. Soon our attention was caught by the rattling call of a Dartford Warbler, followed by a number of brief sightings. The wine-red breast of one bird particularly stood out surprisingly well against the dry vegetation despite the fading light, enabling just about everyone to get a good view. It was at this point, shortly before 9pm, that we heard the sound we were really after – the evening’s first churr of a Nightjar.
As we hurried along to the reserve’s main Nightjar breeding area, Mark pointed out several trees favoured by the species, while some further Dartford Warbler sightings kept us entertained. A long-winged bird flying overhead proved to be a Hobby. But more churring began to rise from different areas of the heathland and soon we were rewarded with several sightings of birds in flight. The show culminated in some magical views of one particularly obliging Nightjar flying around a group of trees quite close to us and landing on a branch long enough for everyone in the group to have a good look. All in all, Mark estimated that we had seen four or five churring males.
It was dark by the time we returned to the car park, so we didn’t tot up the number of species, although other birds seen or heard included Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Sparrowhawk and Little Egret. A wonderful evening enjoyed by everyone, and especially those who had never seen a Nightjar before. Many thanks to Mark Crips for his excellent guidance and for ensuring that no-one got lost in the dark.
by Clare Million