I live on Bear Ridge above the Tahuya River Valley and have had nighthawks
out here since I moved in back in 2002. Presently there is a pair of
nighthawks here, making their presence known morning, noon and night (during
bright nights they can be heard at 2am). Two summers ago there seemed to be
more adults in the area. In early September of that year I was treated one
evening to an amazing show of 21 adult and juveniles feeding in my front
yard. Their swooping and darting around after insects was fascinating to
watch. Would a bird pull out of its dive before hitting the gravelly
ground? How did they manage to miss crashing into one another. How did
they decide who got which insect?

The juveniles were easy to spot as they weren't quite as adept at feeding
and their underwings did not sport the white spot of the adults. Needless
to say, no birds were injured in the making of that fantastic spectacle.

The area here is a mix of deciduous in the valley and 12-15yr old cutover
evergreens with several areas of 35-50 yr growth and a smattering of very
old second growth timber. The subdivision on the ridge has many open areas
of lawns (using the term very loosely, more gravel and weeds than grass).
The same conditions that make this area appealing to nighthawks also are
appealing to the resident mountain quail in the area. Lots of small,
glacially formed lakes and ponds are found throughout the north Mason area
supplying a bountious supply of insect life.

An aside: North Mason Nighthawks would be a great name for a school
athletic team.

Mary Hrudkaj
hrudkajm at hotmail.com
North Mason/Belfair