Diary of a Whip-poor-will
The Georgian Bay Land Trust has been studying Eastern Whip-poor-wills over the past two summers, and learning more about their daily lives on Georgian Bay. Here’s a snapshot of what life is like for one of the Whip-poor-wills in our study.
8:45pm – Hello world! What a nap. I picked a particularly good swamp to sleep in today. Comfiest tree branch I’ve rested on in a while, and my camouflage did its job well – no disturbances. Nice to roost somewhere a little different than my usual forest.
9:15pm – Now it’s time to make my presence known. Territories don’t establish themselves. I need to sing my name really loudly over some open rocks, so as many birds as possible can hear that I live here. *deep breath* Whip-poorwill! Whip-poor-will! Whip-poor-will! Gosh, what a nice voice I have – I sound great!
10:00pm – The moon is out, and so are the bugs. Time to catch dinner! The full moon is beautiful in the forest, and really illuminates all the moths I’m trying to hunt. Yum – just got a Sphinx Moth! I think I’ll stay out a little longer than usual tonight, and have a really good dinner.
Midnight – Time to take a turn on the nest. My partner has been there with the eggs all day, and she needs a break to go get some food. They are so well camouflaged, even I don’t see them right away! But I know where they are, past a few junipers, atop a little pile of leaves on the ground. One brown bird and two speckled eggs. We’re a simple family. No need for a nest or a home in the trees – just a place on the rock, not too exposed to the elements. Home sweet home – at least for the next month. I settle in for the night, taking my guard duties seriously.
12:30am – Movement! Something big and loud approaches. I stay silent and alert – camouflage and stillness are the best ways to protect myself and my eggs, unless the beings get very close. Wait a minute. I recognize these people, with their headlamps and notebooks! They’re the same ones I had an encounter with a few days ago, when I thought I heard another Whip-poor-will singing on my turf. I swooped in to investigate, and next thing I knew, was caught in some sort of mesh and being gently extracted by a pair of hands. The next few minutes passed in a blur, but they left me with a new ankle bracelet and a tiny tag on my back. Tonight they seem to be walking around with some sort of handheld metal antenna. What could they be doing? They don’t stay long, and don’t get close enough to scare me off the nest. They seem to write something down and continue on walking – I’m grateful they’ve left me in peace.
2:00am – While sitting on the nest, I spend some time dreaming about my family’s future. Soon, the eggs will hatch, and within a matter of days our two fluffy little babies will be running around. I have so much to teach them, so quickly. They’ll learn how to fly, hunt for insects, and blend into the landscape. I also need to practice the defensive dance I’ll do to protect them, if predators get too close while they’re young. In only a month or two, it will be time to leave this stage of life behind, and make the long journey south to our wintering grounds. The kids will grow up, and get ready to start their own families – but I’ll be right back here, in the same place next year. I can’t imagine a better place to be!
