Nocturnal birds were on view in broad daylight on Brownsea today with two Nightjar outside the Lake Hide and a Tawny Owl near the Villa. I found the first Nightjar on the ground at about 11:00 by following the detailed instructions on where to look written in the hide's log book. It shuffled out of sight after an hour so I returned to my original mission of photographing terns form the Macdonald Hide. After a few minutes photographing Sandwich Tern on the island front left of the hide, I was just thinking about scoping the heat haze at the back of the lagoon where
Roseate Terns bred last year, when through the lens I saw the all black bill and pink chest of a Roseate Tern (above and right). Sitting at the back of the same island, it preened for a whil
e and eventually flew off, only to return a minute or two later, providing the opportunity for some good flight shots. Arriving birders informed me that a Nightjar had been sitting on a post outside Lake Hide so I returned to find this male (above) doing just that, calling and churring occassionally. It did so from at least 13:30 to 16:30 when I had to leave to catch the last boat. Photos would have ben sharper but for a vicious heat haze.
Nocturnal birds were on view in broad daylight on Brownsea today with two Nightjar outside the Lake Hide and a Tawny Owl near the Villa. I found the first Nightjar on the ground at about 11:00 by following the detailed instructions on where to look written in the hide's log book. It shuffled out of sight after an hour so I returned to my original mission of photographing terns form the Macdonald Hide. After a few minutes photographing Sandwich Tern on the island front left of the hide, I was just thinking about scoping the heat haze at the back of the lagoon where 
Roseate Terns bred last year, when through the lens I saw the all black bill and pink chest of a Roseate Tern (above and right). Sitting at the back of the same island, it preened for a whil
e and eventually flew off, only to return a minute or two later, providing the opportunity for some good flight shots. Arriving birders informed me that a Nightjar had been sitting on a post outside Lake Hide so I returned to find this male (above) doing just that, calling and churring occassionally. It did so from at least 13:30 to 16:30 when I had to leave to catch the last boat. Photos would have ben sharper but for a vicious heat haze.
