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i visited the nighthawk nest yesterday.  however, i was upset to find the female brooding only one chick.  we had a really bad rainstorm yesterday and the female was still soaked.  after i got the shot of the chick, i backed off, observed them for about an hour, and was able to see the male come in at dusk.  he lit near the female and called a bit, then flew to a nearby open field and began feeding lower than i've ever seen a nighthawk feed (10 - 15 ft above the ground).  i got one pathetic shot of the female (with chick under her) and male sitting next to her, that i will include just because you can barely see the white "chin strap" on the male.  something that during this nesting phase i've not yet been able to document.

the chick

the bad shot of the entire family, note the white neckband on the male

is there anyway that this photo can be sharpened?  is this a stupid question?

I have a question myself, do nighthawks nest on the ground? I don't know how to fix the picture, I'm not good at that stuff, but it isn't a bad question.

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And Im only a teen

birdboy:

I have a question myself, do nighthawks nest on the ground? I don't know how to fix the picture, I'm not good at that stuff, but it isn't a bad question.

yes, they do.  this nest was not really a nest at all, as the eggs were layed on bare rocks near a pile of re-bar.

I think you are out of luck in making a fuzzy picture clear. Since you were able to get the chick shot I assume there is the potential for getting mom and dad but you may need to add a tool.  Check your camera manual and see if there is a remote shutter ability either through a shutter cable or a wireless remote.  Most shutter cables are two feet in length, you can get extensions from Radio Shack.  I have my camera on 60' of cable.  So if the camera is capable, set up a tripod or simply put the camera on a folding chair then walk away and activate from a distance.   

 

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