Inner-city parking lots perfect spot for goatsucker birds
There’s no need to dust off the old hiking boots. You don’t even need to bring along a water bottle on this nature hike. All that is required is to go to the nearest urban parking lot after sundown and get yourself started in a rewarding bird-watching adventure.
Granted, it seems like the most unlikely place to enjoy the natural world. Unknown to most people, however, is the fact that these sorts of places are equipped with a large number of urban bird feeders. I am referring to the parking lot light poles. The intense light lures large clouds of moths and other night-flying insects. These concentrations of insects are, in turn, the lure for night-flying birds that feed on night-active insects.
The bird in question is the nighthawk. It is kind of a silly name because this bird is not a hawk. Even sillier still is the fact that it is a member of the bird family called goatsuckers.
The origin of the goatsucker moniker is that ancient goat herders killed some of these birds that had been seen flying over and near their goat herds; it was then that they noticed the large, gaping mouth of these birds. In a classic case of two plus two equals five, the goat herders came to the conclusion that these birds were responsible for the fact that some of their nanny goats came up short on milk production.
The truth of the matter, of course, is that the milling herds of goats stirred up a cloud of insects, and that is the reason these birds spent an inordinate amount of time flying above the goats.
If you should desire to see these unique birds, it is not necessary for you to partner up with the owner of a goat ranch. Instead, you need only go visit an urban parking lot after the sun sets on the western horizon.
In the event the neighbors query you about your weekend plans, just tell them that you and the kids are headed out to observe a flock of goatsuckers.
Drive off as the neighbors scratch their heads in puzzlement.