Nightjars churring

European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus). Southern heaths, Brecks, Sherwood, United Kingdom.

Best time: 1 Jun – 15 Jul (June to July). Where: RSPB Arne, Dorset, Thursley Common NNR, Surrey, Budby South Forest, Sherwood (United Kingdom). Time of day: First churring about 20–30 min after sunset, strongest in the following hour, then intermittent through the night with a second peak in the hour before sunrise.

• You can go on your own
• Low cost
• No binoculars needed
• Sound 5/5

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 – 15 Jul. June to mid July

Active from 15 May to 20 Aug (May to August) in a typical year.

Time of day

First churring about 20–30 min after sunset, strongest in the following hour, then intermittent through the night with a second peak in the hour before sunrise. Warm, still evenings only.

• Dusk churring: 20 min after sunset → 90 min after last light
• Dawn churring: 75 min before sunrise → 10 min before sunrise

What will you hear?

Continuous mechanical churring with changes of gear, wing-claps, 'coo-ick' flight calls, with tree pipits and woodlarks at dusk.

Binoculars?

No binoculars needed. Churring in near-dark; a red torch for the path, no lights on the heath.

Where to go

• RSPB Arne, Dorset — Many males; guided nightjar walks. Poole Harbour shipping and Bovington ranges by day. Map
• Thursley Common NNR, Surrey — Heavy Heathrow/Gatwick traffic until late — record after midnight. Map
• Budby South Forest, Sherwood — Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust walks. Map
• Dunwich Heath, Suffolk (National Trust) — Minsmere next door; Sizewell hum. Map

How to go on your own, and what it costs

Thursley Common NNR: free, open at all hours, park at the Moat car park and walk the boardwalks and sandy tracks. Budby South Forest (Sherwood): free, open access. Dunwich Heath: National Trust car park (charge for non-members) closes in the evening — park in Dunwich village and walk in. Arne: the RSPB car park closes at dusk, so park in Arne village and walk the public footpaths, or join the RSPB nightjar walks.

Cost: Free at Thursley and Budby; RSPB Arne £7 adult + £5 car park for non-members (2026); Dunwich Heath NT car park charge for non-members (check current prices).

Who runs access

• RSPB Arne – nightjar and night wildlife walks (NGO) — Guided evening walks June–July; booking required.

Field-recording notes

Warm, still evenings give the most activity. Ground-nesting on open heath: keep to paths, no playback (it pulls males off territory and they are easily flushed from eggs). Most heaths are open access at night; Arne's car park closes, so walk in.

Sources

• RSPB – Nightjar

Similar spectacles

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More: all spectacles in the United Kingdom · nightjars · wildlife at night · the United Kingdom in June · the United Kingdom in July