Project Nighthawk

Monitoring a State-Endangered Bird

The call of the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) was once a familiar sound in cities and towns throughout New Hampshire, where they nested on peastone roofs and fed on insects attracted to city lights. Over the last few decades, nesting nighthawks have disappeared from many New Hampshire towns; in the few places where they remain, their numbers have dramatically declined. Biologists are still trying to figure out why.

To keep track of Keene’s nighthawk population, the Harris Center and New Hampshire Audubon coordinate volunteer nighthawk surveys on summer evenings in Keene.

To learn more, check out our volunteer materials or email Brett Amy Thelen.