Nightjars in the New Forest (1 Viewer)

[Digbert Doobrey]

Early next week I will be spending the day birding sites in and around the New Forest. I'm planning on looking for Nightjars to round off the day. Can anyone advise me on the best spot to find them in that area? In addition have there been any hotspots for Honey Buzzard in the New Forest in recent years?

 

[markm]

I am not a local but I have stayed at Dockens Water Nr Linwood and regularly heard nightjars. Grid ref
SU 19290 11180 . Around Woodford Bottom . It looks like a long walk in on the os map but there is a good gravel track to the High Corner Inn and this continues to the start of the foot path/ford/bridge. Plenty of Dartford warblers around there as well.

 

[Tiraya]

There are several "ye olde reliable" sites for this species in the central and eastern New Forest. The most well known "public site" is Yew Tree Heath and I get them there every summer in the evenings once dusk hits.

I have a grudge against honey buzzards since I lived near the "famous" hotspot for this species for a decade, and despite persistent birding there I still haven't seen one. I don't know if we are allowed to give out locations for that bird but someone will eventually. I'll leave that responsibility to them.

 

[Digbert Doobrey]

Thanks for those replies. I've done some research on the net regarding the HB's. Being so rare in the UK I can understand the secrecy so I'll leave it at that. As for Nightjars it seems to be that there is no specific site info that I can find for the New Forest, apart from a few trip reports, so I will give your suggestion a go and hope for the best.

 

[dandsblair]

Nightjar spot

My brother lives in Ashurst and we have seen Night jar pretty much on any still night when we have walked into the forest on the track behind the Happy Cheese pub just walk to beyond cottage and turn right to first open area of forest

 

[Digbert Doobrey]

I visted Yew Tree Heath last night from around 8pm. I wasnt too hopeful as the temperature had dropped and it was quite 'blowy'. I walked around a quarter of a mile into the heath and despite my earlier doubts I could see that the habitat was ideal for Nightjars.

The first one started churring around 9.30pm. Then another. Then another. This slowly built up to a Nightjar churring crescendo. The trouble was none were flying. I was clearly surrounded by the buggers but by then it was just too dark and I gave up and headed back to the car. Perhaps, because it wasn't too calm a night and there were not many large insects on the wing, the birds did not fly out. However a similar situation happened at Thursley Common a few years ago on my only other Nightjar hunt and if I remember it was a much warmer and calmer evening.

I'm probably just being impatient but my patch is the Lea Valley in Herts which doesn't have Nightjars (as far as I know) so I dont often get the chance to catch up with them.