-sOutdoors The interesting nighthawk has begun to leave part of its summer breeding range here and is head- ing, generally, towards its winter quarters in South America. They may wander a bit en route. The nighthawk is not a hawk at all but belongs with the goatsuc- kers — the Chuck-Will’s Widow, and Poor- Wills. It has many com- mon names such as Bull-Bat, Mosquito Hawk, Burnt Land Bird, Chimney Bat and Pork-and-Beans. Throughout the long summer evenings, these consummate fliers, rivalling the Snow Birds, have been entertaining us with their -| -@ matchless aerobatics. Few have not thrilled to their swift vertical dives each terminat- ing with a resounding, memorable boom produced by swiftly vibrat- ing flight feathers as they pull out to level off briefly. The nasal “peent” is uttered frequently during their swift, seemingly-erratic flights. The flights are not erratic at all; the birds are gathering the flying insects upon which they feed and bring up their chicks. Mosquitoes, mayflies, dragon- flies, moths, flying ants, beetles, grasshoppers and a host of other forms are all grist for the food mill. Godfrey, in Birds of Canada, notes that one nighthawk which had been accidentally killed had 2,175 flying ants in its stomach svhile another’s contained 500 mosquitoes! Nighthawks are very well equipped for foraging for airborne insects. The mouth is extremely wide, opening well behind the ears and producing an efficient trap for insects when diving through a swarm with widely gaping mouth. In addition, the long tapering wings, forked tail and powerful flight muscles enable them to hawk for their prey for hours at a time. The flight, silhouette, vocaliza- tion and conspicuous white patch in each dark wing are diagnostic. Nighthawks nest on the ground, on gravelled roof tops or cliffs. They fail to construct anything in the way of a nest but deposit their two pale, darkly spotted eggs on the substrate where they blend almost perfectly with the back- drop: Photographically speaking, nighthawks are most co-operative. I have had a female fly into her nest and well incubated eggs when I was sitting quietly about six feet away. She curled her neck, rolled the eggs under her breast, closed her eyes and settled comfortably. When I rose to leave a few minutes later, she roused and flew at me with mouth wide, hissing. I ROOSTING NIGHTHAWK CY HAMPSON PHOTO — NOTARIES PUBLIC — Conveyancing ** Mortgages ** Wills Powers of Attorney ** Promissory Notes Liens ** Mobile Home Transfers Residential Building Contracts ** Fax Services ** Title Services ** Title Searches ** Affidavits ** Personal Property Registry = es DEAS LAURIE SALVADOR & SUSAN DAVIS 2412 Beacon Ave., Sidney 656-3951 Nighthawks capable of matchless aerobatics paused and she flattened on the ground dragging an extended wing as though mortally wounded. Left alone, she hastened back to her eggs. The eggs hatched two days later, producing two delightful silver- gray chicks with faint sooty mark- ings. It was a thrill to observe, from a blind close by, as one of the adults stuffed unbelievable numbers of insects down their tiny. throats. Nighthawks tend to spend most of the bright daylight hours perched quietly, eyes closed, on the bough of a tree or a fence post or else lying on the ground. The sharply barred sides and white wing area are usually evi- dent (see photo). Earlier this spring, we happened to find a “nighthawk tree” with no fewer than 17 birds perched on its boughs during the heat of the day. The time was early May. Appar- ently most of the birds had recently arrived from South Amer- ica, probably Argentina or Colom- bia. These superb fliers breed pretty well across the continent and have even been recorded wandering into the Northwest Territories and some of the islands off the Arctic coast. Enid Blakeney, Lochside, reports a rare, early migrant near the Victoria Airport. It was a short-eared owl readily identified by its very deep wingbeat. JAY LYN JEWELLERS #12 - 2510 Bevan Ave. (Corner of 2nd & Bevan, Sidney) HOURS: 10.a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 656-5556 Public Fax Service Use our number, we'll call you when a fax comes in. SeaLine Fax Center 9764 Fifth St. - (at Bevan) Sidney, B.C. Phone 655-1900 TheReview Wednesday, September 4, 1991 — A15 EMERGENCY NUMBER 655-4459 5-10025 GALARAN RD. 656-1313 FATHOM’S LOUNGE is pleased to announce This week's winner in our weekly BUSINESS CARD DRAW! Enter to win LUNCH for TWO! ¢at)en. Beoo the wateninont 2537 Beacon Avenue es a otel Sidney, B.C. >idiney 656-1131 WHARF DINING ROOM SAANICH PENINSULA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER General meeting and lection a the new 1991-92 Executive and Board of Directors. 11:45 a.m., Glen Meadows Golf & Country Club. Guest speaker from Anthony Robins Research International — “How to Create a Responsive Buyer.” de S Annual General Meenng and S installation of new Executive and Board of Directors. Beuins 6:00 p.m., Columbo's Restaurant, Saanichton. Please note that reservations are necessary. Tickets for the above events are available at a cost $10.00 each, and we urge you to call the Chamber office (656-3616) to reserve by September 16/91. General public and guests are welcome. COME AND SUPPORT ANOTHER WORTHWHILE CENTENNIAL EVENT! JAZZ RAP DANCE KINDERDANCE FUNK IT UP BABY BALLET Be he De be be be be MODERN DANCE COUNTRY LINE DANCE FOR ALL AGES 3 to 83! CLASSES START SEPT. 16th! (Registration must be done in person) 6772 OLDFIELD RD.