It's hot in Phoenix. And with the advent of monsoon season, it's not even the mythically-tolerable dry heat you read about. As a result, even when we desert denizens rise before the blazing sun, the humidity makes outdoor activities uncomfortably sweaty. But with our air-conditioned gyms closed during the COVID-19 crisis many of us are still nonetheless dedicated to our morning jogs and walks for outdoor exercise. In this process, I've discovered that daybreak is also the perfect time to find nighthawks hunting insects.
I was running along the Arizona Canal, near the temporarily-shuttered Biltmore Resort, when I noticed especially large swallows darting a few dozen feet above the water. Barn swallows had nested nearby in late spring, but these new birds were bigger, the size of those toy boomerangs that were popular in my childhood. I thought quite a bit about these living gliders during the next four miles of my sweaty run, as my deepest breaths ingested a number of gnats.
Because of the prominent stripes on their extended wings, their specific hunting behavior, and the season, it was easy later that morning to confirm these new neighborhood birds were lesser nighthawks. An amazing first time discovery for me, these migratory birds visit the sweltering Arizona desert from their wintering grounds in Central America for summer breeding. Just as I was inadvertently doing on my own morning outing, the nighthawks purposely fly with open mouths, feeding on the many hot-weather bugs infesting our skies.
I was eager to get up early the next morning, donning my camera instead of running shoes. Thinking I'd hike the three quarters of a mile to the canal for an attempt at some daybreak photographs, I was surprised to find the nighthawks much closer, soaring and diving above my street right outside my front door. The light was poor, the captures blurry and grainy, but they'll have to do as nighthawks only hunt at dusk and dawn.
Just how many insects populate Phoenix this time of year? No idea, but I do know the intense heat isn't the only discomfort keeping us indoors from June through September. These visiting lesser nighthawks might be making that aspect of our least pleasant season a little bit more tolerable.
I was running along the Arizona Canal, near the temporarily-shuttered Biltmore Resort, when I noticed especially large swallows darting a few dozen feet above the water. Barn swallows had nested nearby in late spring, but these new birds were bigger, the size of those toy boomerangs that were popular in my childhood. I thought quite a bit about these living gliders during the next four miles of my sweaty run, as my deepest breaths ingested a number of gnats.
Because of the prominent stripes on their extended wings, their specific hunting behavior, and the season, it was easy later that morning to confirm these new neighborhood birds were lesser nighthawks. An amazing first time discovery for me, these migratory birds visit the sweltering Arizona desert from their wintering grounds in Central America for summer breeding. Just as I was inadvertently doing on my own morning outing, the nighthawks purposely fly with open mouths, feeding on the many hot-weather bugs infesting our skies.
I was eager to get up early the next morning, donning my camera instead of running shoes. Thinking I'd hike the three quarters of a mile to the canal for an attempt at some daybreak photographs, I was surprised to find the nighthawks much closer, soaring and diving above my street right outside my front door. The light was poor, the captures blurry and grainy, but they'll have to do as nighthawks only hunt at dusk and dawn.
Just how many insects populate Phoenix this time of year? No idea, but I do know the intense heat isn't the only discomfort keeping us indoors from June through September. These visiting lesser nighthawks might be making that aspect of our least pleasant season a little bit more tolerable.
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| Lesser nighthawk at dawn over my Biltmore, Phoenix neighborhood. |
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| Lesser nighthawk at dawn over my Biltmore, Phoenix neighborhood. |
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| Lesser nighthawks at dawn over my Biltmore, Phoenix neighborhood. |
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| Lesser nighthawk at dawn over my Biltmore, Phoenix neighborhood. |
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| Lesser nighthawk at dawn over my Biltmore, Phoenix neighborhood. |
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| Lesser nighthawk at dawn over my Biltmore, Phoenix neighborhood. |
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