Catching nightjars in a foreign country is always a challenge. For this expedition we try to focus on catching nightjars by hand. At night we drive on the dirt roads of Nechisar National Park and scan the surroundings for the eyes of nightjars. The eyes of nightjars will light-up when shined upon with a strong beam of light, like from the LedLensers we use.
Until today we have covered most of the dirt roads in the south of Nechisar National Park many times. Every nightjar that was caught was fitted with a specially designed colour-ring. These rings make it possible to identify recaptures.
Our counter after 7 nights in the field stopped at 28 nightjars. Most of them are Slender-tailed nightjars, five Star-spotted nightjars and several Dusky nightjars.
Next week we will explore the northern part of Nechisar National Park… and who knows what we might find there.
Expedition "solala" 