Last evening (Tuesday, May 23) I had 3 common nighthawks calling in flight over the Upper Cuyahoga River south of Burton in Geauga County at 8:30 pm.  For years, their appearance heralds the annual mayfly hatch in late May-early June on the river which provides a brief plentitude of food.  
Not only nighthawks, but swallows, robins, waxwings, prothonotary warblers and various flycatchers all converge to hawk these relatively large slow-flying insects out of the air as they rise from the river.  At the peak of the hatch, it looks like snow flurries in reverse.

I always wondered how the nighthawks knew where and when appear for the feast as they disappear after the brief hatch (1-2 days) until their late summer migration brings them through in, unfortunately, smaller numbers.  Today’s rash of nighthawk sightings throughout the NE Ohio region has me thinking that the nighthawk spring migration is nicely timed with the mayfly hatch.

Other thoughts are welcome.

Dan Best, Naturalist - Geauga Park District
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