Douglas County Poorwill

I am only a little ashamed to admit that being in the woods at night alone scares the hell out of me. I understand how irrational it is to be afraid of the woods at night, and I am slowly getting more used to it, but every once in a while when I am out owling I get the heebie-jeebies and want to run to my car and lock the doors.  I have also found that it helps to be in the area when there is still light to see by, as it doesn't seem so intimidating when the night closes in.

Even with this crippling fear, I did some getting-late-in-the-season Flammulating this evening up Quines Creek Road where myself and Matt Hunter heard Common Poorwills earlier this year. I didn't hear any Flammulated Owls, but I did drive up to where we thought we heard the Poorwills calling, and I ended up flushing two from the gravel road.

Common Poorwill

It really liked this spot

The first flushed from the road, and as I rounded the corner a second flushed. I tried to keep going, but my car started sliding backwards, even with the brakes on. EEK! Not fun on a hillside. I backed down to the corner, and the first Poorwill had returned. I got out and pointed my headlight beam at it. It kept flying up in the air and catching bugs, and flew past me at extremely close range a few times! It was a very cool experience; those two glowing red eyes and near-silent wings, it was almost like being in the presence of an otherworldly creature.

The Poorwill also "clucked" or "chirped" as it was flying. As to not agitate it I left it alone as soon as possible, but it continued to fly up the road past me and back to it's original spot. Eventually I walked out of its hunting range and back up the road, and when I came down 20 minutes after it was gone.

Bushtit from earlier in the evening posing