F23-121, Night Birds — the Nocturnal Lives of Owls and Nightjars

Owls and nightjars are fascinating creatures that are unfamiliar to many people because of their nocturnal habits. How do these birds see at night and what special adaptations do they have to locate prey in darkness? Is that eerie cackling you hear at night the sound of an owl calling for a mate?
Is that flute-like whistling a whip-poor-will?
What habitats do owls and nightjars occupy?
Are these birds residents or do they migrate?
Join Larry Cartwright for a discussion about these denizens of the night and see just how extraordinary they can be.

Presenter: Larry Cartwright
Larry Cartwright has been a nature-lover for most of his life, especially of birds and bats, and has recently begun exploring the world of insects and frogs. He conducts the Dyke Marsh Breeding Bird Survey for the National Park Service and runs the Bluebird Nest Box Program for Huntley Meadows Park. He is the coordinator of the Washington, D.C. Christmas Bird Count and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia’s Winter Waterfowl Count. He has won several conservation awards, including the Virginia Society of Ornithology’s Jackson Abbott Award in 2013.

LLI Coordinator: Mike Ahern