When Chris Bird stepped outside at 11 o'clock on Thursday night to look for moths, the last thing he expected was to hear the distinctive churring of a Nightjar. Soon the bird flew closer and perched in a tree at the edge of his property, before moving off to continue churring at a more distant location.
This was his first ever record of a Nightjar there in the 57 years that he's been in the house. The surrounding countryside is mostly farmland, used predominantly for sheep and cattle grazing, i.e. no Nightjar habitat.
Chris searches all suitable habitat in his area every spring, and the nearest Nightjars that he has found are at least four miles away.