Nightjars Return

On the 2nd August 1980 I came across a female Nightjar brooding two large young on Chat Moss. In those days it was the only place in Greater Manchester where Nightjars bred and soon after, through peat extraction, Nightjars ceased to breed in the County. During the thirty seven years since 1980 very few Nightjars have been seen in Greater Manchester but this year it all changed. A pair of Nightjars have been seen all summer in the east of the County and there is every indication that they have bred. Lets hope they return next year and become regular breeding birds once again. This week’s blog photo and gallery are of a pair that bred just over the County boundary three years ago. Click here