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Project Noah Nature School
Antrostomus carolinensis
Drab brown bird nearly 20" from head to tail with black spots and some white markings. A tiny beak and flat head make this one of the most unusual looking birds I've ever seen. This is the largest nightjar species in North America. It's natural coloring and unwillingness to spook in the daylight make this a difficult bird to spot nesting on the forest floor.
Mixed forest.
After listening to the Chuck-will's for several weeks at night, my friend and I finally tracked this one down during the daytime. I'm not sure if it's nesting or just sleeping the day away to prepare for it's incessant nighttime song, but I count it a privilege to be able to visit and photograph this interesting bird. The last three photographs in this series were shot with minimal magnification. Unless you know it's there, this large bird completely disappears in the photographs.
Spotted on May 14, 2014
Submitted on May 15, 2014
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