Page 15 - Wildlife News August 2018

I t’s warm. Unusually warm,
Experience it for yourself
The Wildlife Trusts manage many
heathland nature reserves that are
home to the haunting nightjar:
Chobham Common and Wisley and
Ockham Commons and Chatley Heath
(Surrey); Higher Hyde Heath (Dorset);
Roydon Common and GrimGssdtojyngWdsavryrgen
(Norfolk); Strawberry HillsdHyevagtyhdg(Nsvostdtvs); you’ll hear the wing clapping and
sdugsdvdsv
species of dragonfly as well as
even for a summer night in lizards, newts and the occasional
July. Above the peat bogs, rarity like last year’s pectoral
heathland and pine copses of sandpiper that was eventually
Thursley Common a full moon driven off by a swooping merlin.
has risen, casting a ghostly On local advice, I turn right,
glow over this delightful Surrey still wheeling over the boardwalk
nature reserve just off the A3. Frank Gardner and heading for a clump of Scots
The last of the day visitors is on Instagram pines. This seems like a good
at frankgardner_ time to check what I’m supposed
have returned to their cars and nature. His latest to be listening out for. I take out
by 9.30pm I have the place to novel, Ultimatum, my phone, open up my Collins
myself, leaving me alone to is out now.
pursue a lifelong ambition: to Bird Guide app and type in
see a nightjar in the wild in Britain. These ‘European nightjar’ (as opposed
curious, nocturnal, highly camouflaged to the related Nubian, Egyptian and
birds have long fascinated me and Red-necked species that occur on the
historically, they have attracted legends. Continent). I click on the audio button and
One of these is that they feed from the up comes the churring. I memorise it and
teats of sleeping goats, earning them the switch off the phone.
old English nickname of ‘goatsucker’. And it continues. From somewhere,
They also have an unmistakable out there in the darkness, the churring has
signature call, known as a ‘churring’, a started up. Yes! I’m in luck. As quietly as
strange, low vibrating sound that I’m told possible, I make my way by moonlight
can still be heard on summer nights like towards the pine trees. The noise is loud
this across the heathlands of Britain. now; it seems to reverberate all around
I keep very me, electrifying the night-time
scanstthilel and atmosphere. I keep very still and scan the
night sky night sky where the pine branches lie
against the deep purple sky and the silver
moon. Suddenly there is a clapping
sound followed by the swish of beating
wings. There, silhouetted just yards from
where I am, a pair of nightjar rears up into
The wooden planks of the boardwalk the air, chasing moths with their sharp,
creak and groan as I trundle across it in my pointed wings, before vanishing off into
wheelchair. Thursley Common is a National the night.
Nature Reserve comprising 325 hectares of And yet the churring continues. I scan
peat bog and woodland with winding the branches and then I see it, halfway up
trails and nearly a mile of raised boardwalk a tree, perfectly silhouetted against the
to take you over the otherwise impassible summer moon. I raise my camera for a
marshes. By day I have had great views of chance shot but immediately it’s up and off.
stonechats here, perching on isolated Yet I’m overwhelmed by a sense of triumph:
branches. The reserve harbours over 20 I have seen my first British nightjar! david tipling/2020VISION
Cors Bodgynydd (N Wales); and Many
Greenham Common & Snelsmore Wildlife Trusts run
Common (Berks). nightjar events
and have
Arrive before dusk on a warm, dry wheelchair
evening in June or July and find a spot accessible nature reserves.
with open skies. Keep your ears open: n Find out more:
wtru.st/access
churring before you see them!
Wildlife news / August 2018 15