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 these acrobatic insectivores 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 has worked with NH Audubon to coordinate volunteer nighthawk surveys on summer evenings in Keene since 2007. To learn more about this local effort, email Brett Amy Thelen.
A Project Update
Sadly, breeding-season nighthawks have not been observed in Keene since 2021. In light of this loss — and the retirement of Project Nighthawk biologist Becky Suomala in the fall of 2024 –NH Audubon is reevaluating their strategy for monitoring Common Nighthawks in the Granite State. For now, rather than utilizing the Project Nighthawk data forms, they are asking people to report Common Nighthawk sightings to eBird, especially during the breeding season in June and July.
Contact Us
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Brett Amy Thelen at (603) 525-3394 or by email.
