There are always new things we can learn and experience about God and the natural world. We may not understand fully what the creator has made. There is great mystery in both the Creator and the created. If we dig deeper into the created we can see something of God.
One of my favourite birds is a mystery in itself. You will have missed out if you weren’t at Forest Church in June as we saw and heard this enigmatic bird!
It could be considered rather an unfortunate name especially as night is often thought to be a negative thing. For me the nightjar has been a bridge into the night as once you see it…well for me anyway, it pulls you in and helps you to forget about the darkness as it creeps up on you. The jar part of the word comes from the sound it makes! As it moves its head slowly from side to side it can deceive you of its position. Most bird books regard the sound as a churr! You need to hear it to fully appreciate what it really sounds like. They also make a nasally kewick sometimes combined with wing slaps.
I’ve not had the courage yet to see it in the hours before dawn as that requires a very early start considering the fact that they are late spring migrants! Once you know where one is living, you can go back again and again just before sunset in favourable conditions and not be disappointed in seeing them. But be careful not to disturb them as it is illegal to do so.
In the past the nightjar was called the goat-sucker due to the mistaken belief that it took the milk from goats udders! The scientific name – Caprimulgus europaeus celebrates this former understanding embedding it into the cultural memory.
There are some very specific adaptations which endear me to them all the more. Firstly the bristles around the wide mouth help detect moths and other insects. As soon as the prey passes the bristles the sensitive palate is so designed to snap shut instantly, ensuring that the surprised insect cannot escape! These bristles need to be maintained hence the middle toe has indentations on it which are used to comb and make sure they are clean and ready for action!
Behind the retina is a mirror which reflects the light helping it to see contrast in low lighting, just like other animals have who frequent the night e.g. cats. This is why when you shine a light into their eyes they glow back at you!
I think one of the big reasons for liking it is, like other birds it’s loyal to both nature and nurture in that it returns every year to the same place very specifically. Traversing 3700km to Central Africa and back to Thetford as one radio transmitter found, is quite a feat! The local ones on Whitmoor Common I can only guess at the distance and area they travel to! They are faithful to this pattern as far as we know and rely on home being where it was the year before leaving on such a long journey!
What first captured my attention after the sound they make was the way they fly. It’s as if they imitate the prey that they capture! I like to think they fly like a large bouncing moth ever so slowly with the occasional hover and spurt of speed!
I’ve taken to thinking how it may be doing when I’m in my cosy home undercover from the elements. There are birds in the same family as nightjars who go into torpor – a kind of temporary hibernation to cope with the elements and in so doing conserve energy. It is likely that the nightjar does this too!
When you get to know and love a fellow creature there is an attraction to it that can’t always be put into words. I have tried to do this for you the reader. Sometimes it’s not obvious how I might learn something from nature about God other times I have to dig deeper. When I do dig deeper it enriches my experience and in so doing causes me to be more in awe of The Divine Presence.
There is still opportunity this month (and if you’re lucky August also) to see this bird before it departs.