Project Nighthawk

The call of the Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) was once a familiar sound in cities and towns throughout New Hampshire, where they nested on flat, peastone gravel roofs and fed on insects attracted to city lights. In recent years, nesting nighthawks have disappeared from many New Hampshire towns; in the few places where they remain (including Keene), their numbers have dramatically declined. Biologists are now trying to determine the cause for this precipitous decline.

In partnership with New Hampshire Audubon and in efforts to conserve this state-threatened species, the Harris Center for Conservation Education coordinates volunteer nighthawk surveys on summer evenings in Keene.