Marty’s photo of the day #5131: During the 30 years Deb and I have lived at the Essen Wildlife Refuge, we’ve often heard nighthawks, but only after dark, and if we saw them they were just a flash in the forest. This year is different. Two weeks ago, I was walking our dog, Nellie, through the forest when we spotted this mother and one of her chicks. The mother immediately went into her wounded bird act.

Today’s photo is from Nellie’s and my walk three days ago. This time momma nighthawk had two chicks. The chicks immediately flew to a nearby tree while momma did her wounded bird thing again. Since extreme close-ups of these gorgeous birds are uncommon, I thought you might enjoy this one.