#2662 "Nightjar Singleton Sunset"

#2662 "Nightjar Singleton Sunset"
10x12 oils panel

There were at least a dozen night hawks feeding in the Singleton sunset sky. Night hawks are members of the nightjar family which helps to explain the title. They are described as being medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. Being insect eaters, these birds are very susceptible to pesticides. Common nighthawks breed in North America but migrate in the fall up to 10,000 kilometres south to the Amazon and Cerrado biomes of South America. The birds make numerous stops along their journey. As a result, pesticides and loss of habitat anywhere along this very long migration is an important factor in their survival. 

The common nighthawk is one of the most widely distributed birds in the Western Hemisphere, but also one of the most poorly understood due to its nocturnal nature. It is not a hawk but a member of the "nightjar" family which is a group of nocturnal birds that "hawk" to catch and eat flying insects. It is well disguised during the day by plumage that camouflages with the ground or tree branch it roosts on. At dusk, it uses long wings, huge eyes and a giant mouth to pursue and capture its prey. I built shelters to try to encourage these birds to nest at Singleton. I was also inspired to paint #2519 "Nighthawk Sunset" because of the night hawks. 

The weather is this sunset sky is also very important. It is a warm conveyor belt marked by multiple parallel Langmuir streaks. Some gravity waves embedded within the Langmuir streaks confirm the southwesterly winds in the free atmosphere. A jet probably on its was to Europe, was enjoying a fuel saving tail wind. 

This is just another sunset sky but I did not need to travel anywhere to enjoy it. There was a definite purple hue to the sky low on the horizon. The weather is always interesting. It was snowing in Boulder Colorado while I was enjoying this sunset. 

The very smooth and slippery surface was fun. For this and much more art, click on Pixels. Thank you.