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Common Nighthawk

Photo of the Week (July 5th, 2020)

(archive photos of the week here)

Common Nighthawks are a species you see in eastern South Dakota, but ALWAYS in flight, where their darting, erratic foraging and flight patterns make them damned near impossible to get a good photo of. During the day they often roost, but in an area with trees, they're usually hidden by perching on a tree branch and blending in. In western South Dakota, trees can be few and far between!  You thus sometimes see them perched on fence posts, or in this case, on the barbed wire itself. I was tickled pink to not only get a photo of one so close, but to catch him while he was doing his distinctive call. From June 28th, near Wind Cave National Park in western South Dakota.

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Click here for more information on this species