Nightjar. 2019

[Summi]

Biker, thanks for the great pics of the bird of the year.

[IceAge]

14:58
It is warm and the bird is heckling.

[Urmas]

Nightjar is a bit unknown also for us who installed the camera.
This late evening we will test, if infra red light attached to the camera, does anyhow disturb the incubating bird in dark time. Yesterday the incubating bird flew away from the nest in near darkness, but not clear if it was caused by camera set or some external thing around there.
Somehow camera started to switch between infra-red filter off and on in automatic mode and that is accompanied with a kind of clicking voice. That can be also disturbing for the bird, especially if repeated in naturally silent time.
But we will see in the evening, how it is really affecting. In case of fly away because of camera tricks, the camera is possible to switch off remotely, like Omar did yesterday.
So tomorrow we will know more as today, hopefully.

[Biker]

thanks for the infos.
Hopefully, the sound of the camera don't disturb.

the moments before flying off
22:55:45 a warning (?) from the partner
the bird on the eggs got upset, started to "sing".
more warning voices from the partner
*
departure 23:01:06

[Jo UK]

Triin, thankyou for your excellent first post, with all that information.
But one thing puzzles me - you said a common name for the nightjar is "goatsucker"
I have seen that name on TV paranormal programmes, absolutely nothing to do with a bird of any kind! Can you give an explanation?

[Urmas]

Something like that Biker writes, remember also. But I was too sleepy that time to understand what happened really.
Today we are more prepared for such surprises, probably.

[Biker]

But one thing puzzles me - you said a common name for the nightjar is "goatsucker"

"Ziegenmelker" also in german, JoUk.
i know the legend like this: the bird drinks goat's milk at night - directly at the udder.

[Jo UK]

Thanks, Biker.

That is a much nicer reason than the one on TV shows!

[Biker]

well the end of this legend is "weird".
the roman scholar Plinius wrote:
>> they steal during the night, because they can't see at daylight.
they invade the stables of the shepherds and drink at the udders of goats and cows.
The udder dies as a result of this violence and the animals become blind. <<

[Jo UK]

Legend - er - I don't know what to say!

[Biker]

[mogga]

A little change of position at 15:06.

[Triin]

"Ziegenmelker" also in german, JoUk.
i know the legend like this: the bird drinks goat's milk at night - directly at the udder.

The origin of goatsucker is from Nightjars Latin name Caprimulgus = caper (a goat) + mulgea (to milk)). Also German Ziegenmelker, Russian козодой and many other European languages refer to this legend.

In Estonian the most common names for Nightjar refer to the sound it makes. It reminds the sound made when spinning yarn, thus ketrajalind, ööketraja, kedralind e.g. and also Finnish kehrääjä, Swedish nattskärra.

In Estonia we have two legends. One tells that Nightjar was too lazy to build a nest when the God ordered all the birds to build nests, and thus Nightjar is called laisklind (lazy bird) from now on. The second legend tells that Nightjar was too lazy to learn a decent song, and so when all the good songs were taken by other birds, the Nightjar had to learn its song from a peeing horse.

There are other legends as well. Germans tell a story where Nightjar is a hunter from the underworld (or something like that), who forces the ghost of a beatiful bride spinn yarn through the night. When the girl stops her work the hunter will whistle his dogs and clap a whip, so that the maiden continues her work.

[sigge]

Hopefully, the sound of the camera don't disturb.
22:55:45 a warning (?) from the partner
the bird on the eggs got upset, started to "sing".
more warning voices from the partner

Don't think it's a warning sound but the normal frog calling "kruitt kruitt" and wing clapping from the male?
But surely alarm sounds on the first video from around 23:12
Thanks for the videos Biker

Wonderful cam

[sigge]

23:10 Male calls and start singing
23:11 Female gets excited and fly away, lots of sounds..
23:15- Male near cam singing very load
23:20 Cam switches to IR, no change
but then alarm call, zooming, loosing connection..(my silly vlc..)

[Hellem]

23:28 The eggs are still alone

23:55 The female came back and sat to incubate

[mogga]

The eggs have not been incubated for 44 minutes (23:11-23:55). Isn't that a problem? I don't know much about nightjars...

[Urmas]

22:55 Nightjar returns to the nest, IR light works

[sigge]

Female back in nest:

[sigge]

0:35- Wood Lark singing