I have enjoyed the many nighthawk reports and stories since my Aug 25 post. I guess they are all over Ohio now, preparing to migrate. as a historical note, back in the 1960s in the Youngstown area, growing up and several years before getting serious about birds, nighthawks were among the few species I knew. in my recollection, they would circle the suburban sky most summer evenings, noticeable first by their beeps. they were as common in summer (seemingly) as robins and blue jays. but for the past 30+ years in our suburban Akron area they are rarities. Marty Cohen ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Bill Whan <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, Aug 29, 2016 at 10:56 AM Subject: [Ohio-birds] Nighthawks in Ohio To: [log in to unmask] Thanks to the many folks who have been reporting on nighthawk movements. I hope more reports of migration and breeding will be shared with others. I checked with the Birds of North America text, where it is admitted that "relatively little is known about this bird.* Most Ohioans see few nighthawks in spring: it seems flocks seen are small, often passing quite high up, and unwilling to linger. The fall migration is another phenomenon entirely, when flocks in four figures have often been recorded, even though they are not so often seen in recent years. These flocks apparently depend on insects--queen ants, caddisflies, moths, true bugs--preferred (one stomach examined had 2175 flying ants but also 500 mosquitoes [BNA]). It seems universally acknowledged that these birds less often nest in Ohio, which any careful observer over a few decades old can confirm. As for the fall migration we're now seeing, their numbers are declining--I cited some Columbus numbers in my post a few days ago, and other locations report similar losses. I couldn't find certain basic information about the fall migration. Do these birds migrate over the water of the Great Lakes, or do they work the shorelines? One record involved 16,496 seen in one spot along the shoreline in Minnesota; perhaps the migrant hordes eschew open lake waters and prefer shorelines, as well as inland lakes and rivers. Are boaters well offshore seeing lots of nighthawks these days? Another way to ask the question might be "where are the bugs?" These are fascinating birds, and their gradual disappearance is another bummer. Bill Whan Columbus *As for "the Birds of North America." this valuable but expensive text can be found in most good libraries, but it is often improved via new research and discoveries available only on the electronic version. Good libraries will provide internet access to the latest version of BNA accounts. Check with your library. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/members hip.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Please consider joining our Society, at www.ohiobirds.org/site/membership.php. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: listserv.miamioh.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]