Nightjars and woodlarks in the dune plantations

Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus), woodlark, tree pipit, cuckoo, tawny owl, long-eared owl; red deer and roe deer. Thy dune plantations, Tversted (Vendsyssel), Rold Skov, Grib Skov, Denmark.

Best time: 1 Jun – 10 Jul (June to July). Where: Tved Klitplantage / Hanstholm (Nationalpark Thy), Tversted Klitplantage (Vendsyssel), Rold Skov (Rebild Bakker) (Denmark). Time of day: Churring from 30 min after sunset (about 22:30 in June) for 2 h, then intermittent.

• You can go on your own
• Free
• No binoculars needed
• Sound 4/5

Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.

When is the best time?

Peak: 1 Jun – 10 Jul. June to 10 July (churring from dusk on warm still nights)

Active from 15 May to 31 Jul (May to July) in a typical year.

Time of day

Churring from 30 min after sunset (about 22:30 in June) for 2 h, then intermittent; a second bout in the hour before sunrise. Woodlarks sing to dusk.

• Dusk churring: 30 min after sunset → 150 min after sunset
• Dawn churring: 75 min before sunrise → 10 min before sunrise

What will you hear?

Nightjar churring from clear-fell edges, wing-claps and 'coo-ick' flight calls, woodlark's cascading song at dusk, long-eared owl chicks squeaking, roe deer barking; the North Sea surf behind the Thy dunes.

Binoculars?

No binoculars needed. Churring from the clear-fell edge at dusk; ears only, a red torch for the track.

Where to go

• Tved Klitplantage / Hanstholm (Nationalpark Thy) — Pine plantation on dune heath; nightjars on the clear-fells; the reserve's coastal strip is open all year. Map
• Tversted Klitplantage (Vendsyssel) — Northern Jutland dune forest; nightjar and woodlark; quiet roads. Map
• Rold Skov (Rebild Bakker) — Denmark's largest forest; nightjars on the heath edges; state forest open 24 h. Map

How to go on your own, and what it costs

State forests (Naturstyrelsen) are open day and night on foot: park at the Tved Klitplantage car parks off Route 181, Tversted plantation car parks, or Rold Skov (Rebild Bakker); locate the clear-fells by day and return at dusk.

Cost: Free.

Field-recording notes

Danish state forests are open day and night on foot; private forests close at sunset — the plantations listed are state (Naturstyrelsen). Nightjars are a clear-fell species: locate the churr by day at the edge of recent felling and return at dusk. Mosquitoes in the dune slacks are severe in June. Thy's plantations have the North Sea as a permanent low bed 2–3 km west — a feature, not a fault. Nightjars are protected; no playback and no torches at the nest scrape (ground-nesting, right at the clear-fell edge).

Sources

• Naturstyrelsen – Hanstholm Vildtreservat og Tved Klitplantage
• xeno-canto – Nightjar

Similar spectacles

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More: all spectacles in Denmark · nightjars · wildlife at night · Denmark in June · Denmark in July