Common Nighthawk

We saw this on July fourth after the firework show at the Biscuits game.  We were sitting on top of a parking deck.  The firework show was amazing but the nighthawk was even more amazing!  It was dark by the lights from the city illuminated the bird just enough to recognize the white bands on the underside of the wing.  Plus the bird was wailing as it flown over head during several passes.

On warm summer evenings, Common Nighthawks roam the skies over treetops, grasslands, and cities. Their sharp, electricpeent call is often the first clue they’re overhead. In the dim half-light, these long-winged birds fly in graceful loops, flashing white patches out past the bend of each wing as they chase insects. These fairly common but declining birds make no nest. Their young are so well camouflaged that they’re hard to find, and even the adults seem to vanish as soon as they land.