Brian Southern and I were very fortunate recently to spend an evening with Paddy Jenks at a site in North Pembrokeshire studying European Nightjars. As dusk fell, the expected and almost expected sights and sounds of Nightjar failed.
Despite the weather being colder and windier than predicted, and the distinct lack of Nightjar activity being seen or heard, Paddy set up a mist net and very quickly caught 3 Nightjars – a male, and then a second a man and a woman at the same time. In 3 previous attempts over the years Paddy had gotten nothing, so this was a surprise! It was absolutely fascinating to see these birds up close as Paddy quickly and expertly measured, weighed and ringed them (under licence, of course).
When I lived in Pembrokeshire in the late 1980s, the Nightjar seemed to have disappeared as a breeding bird in the County. The 1984-1988 Breeding Bird Survey recorded breeding males at 5 localities but breeding could not be confirmed. I remember trying some likely sites in the 1990s with Trevor Price, but always drawing a blank (except for biting insects, which we discovered in abundance). The follow up Atlas of Breeding Birds 2003-07 made no mention of any breeding species.
So it was a pleasant surprise when Brian and Paul Grennard recorded a fighting male at Preselis in 2021, and since then the birds have been recorded at 3 sites (at least). I managed to see and hear my first bird in 2023: it was magical and my first European Nightjar experience. We hope that harmonious forest management will enable this species to be successful as a breeding species in Pembrokeshire for years to come.
A few photos and a video (of the second male released) below, were taken while Paddy was doing his job.
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| The first man about to be released |
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| The second man’s wing |
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| The woman’s wing |
Our eternal thanks to Paddy for giving his time and great experience and knowledge. We learned a lot about Nightjars in a short amount of time!
