Saturday evening I was up the Elwa river in Olympic National Park. I had a
broad view of the river bar sky and to my delight I heard, then saw a
nighthawk, soaring quite high. After a bit, a second night hawk joined in
whatever they were eating. It was delightful watching them soar and swoop.
As it got a bit darker a third, fourth...then finally a seventh nighthawk
added itself to the sky above me. A pair of them did a follow the leader
chase, where one chased after another, mimicking its every dive, side slip
and swoop, they then suddenly they would switch, the pursued would become
the pursuer and off they would go. They did this tag game back and forth for
10 minutes. As the trees faded into silhouettes about a dozen bats came out
and entered the busy skyways above the river. They were quite low to the
ground. I was getting a crick in my neck so I laid down on a sandbar and
watched the bird and mammal dance overhead, the sky alive with motion.

Rob Sandelin
South Snohomish County at the headwaters of Ricci Creek
Sky Valley Environments <http://www.nonprofitpages.com/nica/SVE.htm>
Field skills training for student naturalists
Floriferous at msn.com