Conducting Surveys

 

Seasonal and Daily Timing: 

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1.) Begin each survey at least 30 minutes after sunset and end no later than 15 minutes before sunrise.

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2.) Surveys must only be conducted during these 2025 survey dates:

• Window 1: FL, TX, and low elevation AZ* and NM: 4 Apr – 20 Apr

• Window 2: Southern US (MO and all areas south): 4 May – 20 May

• Window 3: Any location in the country: 2 Jun – 18 Jun

• Window 4: Areas north of AZ, FL, NM, and TX, high elevation areas in northern US: 2 Jul – 17 Jul

• Window 5: WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, Dakotas, MN: 1 Aug – 16 Aug​

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Contact us if you have a question about how these dates apply to your route. These dates are specifically chosen to coincide with the nights of brightest moonlight and greatest nightjar calling frequency. These are important dates to use so survey conditions are standardized across all regions of the NSN. 

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3.) Surveys must only be conducted when the moon is above the horizon and not obscured by clouds. It is a little known fact that nightjars call less frequently when the moon is still below the horizon or hidden by dense cloud cover. Check your local times for moonrise at the US Naval Observatory or local newspaper  Please note that the moon rises later each successive date.  The moon may not rise on later dates of each cycle until after 11:00pm so consider the date you choose to be completed when the moon is above the horizon.

 

EACH SURVEY ROUTE ONLY NEEDS SURVEYED ONE TIME PER YEAR

 

Route Logistics: 

 

Each survey route consists of 10 to 12 stops.  The starting point of your route will be named stop 1. All other stops are sequentially numbered and spaced 1 mile apart along the route. You may vary the exact distance up to 2 tenths of a mile between stopping points to find a safe place to park.  It is better to add space between points rather than shortening this distance to avoid counting the same individual birds twice.  Not all of your stopping points need to be on the same road. Turning onto different roads may be expected. We recommend scouting your route during daylight to become familiar with the stops and ensuring you are able to pull over safely. Your safety is paramount. If you do not feel safe at a particular stop, skip the stop and proceed to the next stop.

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Conducting Nightjar Surveys:

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Survey data can be recorded and reported in two way: 

1. You can record and submit your results in the field using a smartphone and the NatureCounts mobile app.  

2. OR, you can record your observations on a physical data sheet and enter your results on the NatureCounts website. 

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Route Name and Number* – All pre-existing routes are named and numbered. If you are creating your own route, use the county or nearest township where the route begins as the name, and the last 4 digits of your phone number of the number (e.g., Henrico1649). Add an extra number (-1, -2) if multiple routes in same county.

 

Observer: Record your first and last name here. 
Date:  Indicate the date of the survey. 
Time Start:  Indicate the time at which you begin listening at stop 1. 
Time End:  Indicate the time at which you stop listening at the final stop.

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Survey Conditions:

 

Wind: DO NOT conduct surveys during strong winds. High winds diminish your ability to hear nightjar vocalizations.

0 = Calm (<1 mph): smoke rises vertically 

1 = Light (1-7 mph): smoke drifts, weather vane inactive, leaves rustle, can feel wind on face 

2 = Moderate (8-18 mph): leaves, twigs, and thin branches move around, small flags extend, raises loose papers. 

3 = Strong (19 mph or greater): small trees begin to sway. Do not conduct survey. 

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Sky:  DO NOT begin a survey if the sky is completely overcast, during heavy fog, or persistent rain or snow. All of these conditions will diminish calling rates of nightjars and hamper your survey. 

0 = Clear: Cloudless sky, can see stars and moon clearly 

1 = Mostly clear: Few clouds, less than 25% cloud cover 

2 = Mostly cloudy: Many clouds, 25-50% cloud cover 

3 = Overcast: Dense cloud cover, entire sky covered.  Should not conduct survey. 

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Background Noise: Codes indicate the level that background noise impairs your ability to hear nightjars.

0 = None: There is no effect of background noise on your ability to hear nightjars 

1 = Slight: Noise slightly affects your ability to hear nightjars (e.g. distant traffic, 1-2 car passing during a stop’s counting period). 

2 = Medium: Noise moderately affects your ability to hear nightjars (e.g. nearby traffic, 3-6 cars passing during survey period, airplane flying overhead). 

3 = Excessive: Noise seriously affects your ability to hear nightjars (e.g. continuous traffic nearby, construction noise, frog chorus) 

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Moon Visible (Y or N): Enter Y for YES or N for NO to indicate if the moon can be seen above the horizon while counting nightjars at the stop. This is particularly important to register when in deep valleys because the moon may be obstructed by mountain ridges. 

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Counting Nightjars (READ CAREFULLY):

At each point, count all Nightjars seen or heard for a period of SIX MINUTES. Do not include nightjars you see or hear anytime before or after the six minute counting period. Counting nightjars and recording data should be done from a stationary position outside of your automobile. Most importantly, be consistent. Use the same technique at each stop including how you focus your listening for nearby birds and distant birds. The counting period is broken into six 1-minute listening periods on the data sheet. Record the detection history of each individual Nightjar seen or heard from the time of their first detection through their last detection in the appropriate 1-minute block of the Data Sheet. Use a value of 1 when an individual bird is detected in each respective one –minute column and leave a blank if that individual was not detected in that one-minute period.  Birds will sometimes move during the counting period. Use your best judgment in determining new detections from those of birds that have simply moved during the count.

 

DO NOT use whistles, audio-calls, or any method of that coaxes birds to call or come closer to you. Also, DO NOT use a flashlight to search for reflections of Nightjars eyes. These practices will bias your survey and make it difficult to compare your data to other routes. Record birds as you hear them, rather than waiting for the end of the six minute period to avoid data omission errors. Enter a Stop # in the appropriate column of your data sheet beginning with #1 for your first stop and sequentially numbering others as 2 through 10*. 

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To learn more about each species, review the species profiles on our Nightjars page and test your skills with our quiz! Consider using the following abbreviations for each species on your data sheet: 

ANNI = Antillean Nighthawk

BCNI = Buff-collared Nightjar

CONI = Common Nighthawk

COPA = Common Pauraque

COPO = Common Poorwill

CWWI = Chuck-will's-widow

LENI = Lesser Nighthawk

EWPW = Eastern Whip-poor-will

MWPW = Mexican Whip-poor-will​

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Please remember that surveys should be conducted during the allotted survey windows and daily timeframe described above (see "Seasonal and Daily Timing").  Always remember the moon should be above the horizon. Surveys should not be conducted under overcast skies, during strong wind, or when there is persistent rain or snow. If conditions deteriorate after a route is started for more than 3 stopping points, we advise you to abort the survey and attempt it on another night with better conditions.  ​

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Do you want to share your nightjar observations from outside of the survey effort? View the "Report Nightjar Sightings" section on our Participate page for guidance on sharing your incidental nightjar observations.