Nighthawk under nose for all these years...

[mr.sharp-photo]

After reading someone post about nighthawks in Greektown and him hearing them call, I decided to finally look up what a nighthawk sounds like.

all of these years and i didn't realize that I'd be hearing a nighthawk a few times a month....

if you want to hear one, go to Ossington just south of Dundas. walk on the east side of the road around Foxley. and listen...

for years, i've heard what i thought was a sleep-deprived starling squawk rhythmically. tonight, i finally realized what it was.

[Rob'in'To]

Cool!

We heard one once, last Spring, down at Col Sam.  And we watched it fly around the campus buildings.

[Leslie]

"...a sleep-deprived starling squawk rhythmically..."
I always thought it sounded like one of those electric back yard mosquito zappers that used to be popular (& didn't work, at least, not on mosquitoes)...

[Flyingbass]

It took  me a summer of look at up this mysterious bird that only came out at dusk to figure it was a night hawk.  I couldn't see any identification markings because of the poor light. There is one that lives in my neighbourhood (Grace and Bloor), it comes out almost every night.  It is really cool when it goes in for its mating display (I think that is what it is doing), it flaps fast and high and then suddenly swoops down almost hitting the ground.  The incredibly thing is it makes a big booming/whooshing sound with its wings right above the ground.  Sometimes you can hear it if it does close.