Earlier this week, I did an evening walk on Kalmthout Heath with the aim of trying for Nightjars. I knew it would be tight, however, since recent observations seemed to indicate they should start singing around 10pm and my last train back was at 22:29, but the station was a 20-minute walk away. Having had a nice walk around the heath, seeing at least five Woodlarks, two of which were carrying beakfuls of food for their unseen young, I finally heard the distant churring of a Nightjar at 21:58. I wasn't sure at first, having not heard or seen one in Belgium since July 2007, but another then started calling considerably closer. I reckoned I had to leave my spot by 22:03 in order to make it back to the station in time but, just as I was exiting the heath, yet another Nightjar started up, this time right next to the path. It was too much to walk away from so I waited another couple of minutes, and was rewarded by the bird flying out of the trees and off over the heath, giving a brief but good view as it banked in the evening sun. By now, though, it was 22h05, so I then had to run back to the station! Since we're almost half way through the year and my year lists have now reached the point where progress is very slow, each blog post will now conclude with my progress, showing my year totals for both Belgium and Brussels, with the latest additions in brackets.
BE #198 (Woodlark, Nightjar)
BRU #107 (Marsh Warbler)
