Nightjars are summer visitors to the Quantock Hills, migrating from Africa. They are medium-sized birds, about the same size as a kestrel or cuckoo, and are very well camoflagued making them very hard to spot.
During the day they will stay hidden in rough grassland and heathland but at night they become more active. Even at night they remain difficult to spot with their silent flight. However, the males do have a very distinctive 'churring' song.
National surveys have identified that there is a significant and nationally important population of nightjars in the Quantock Hills.
To better understand the population and distribution of nightjars on the Quantock Hills we have been surveying across 10km grid squares. The survey involves going out at dawn and dusk and counting numbers of males.
If you are interested in getting involved please contact the Team