by Roland D. Hallee

While sitting on the deck at camp one lazy afternoon recently, one of our friends asked, “Why don’t we hear Whip-poor-wills anymore?”

Interesting question.

Besides the fact that whip-poor-wills are strictly nocturnal – that meaning they are active at night when I’m sleeping (something that seems to be happening earlier all the time) – whip-poor-wills are elusive.

Often heard but seldom observed, the whip-poor-will chants its name on summer nights in the eastern woods. Sometimes, the song seems to go on endlessly. During the night, they will lay low and fly upwards to catch moths and other aerial insects.

At dusk and dawn, and on moonlit nights, they scurry out of their perches to sweep up insects in their large mouths.

Eastern Whip-poor-will

During the day, they roost on the forest floor, or on a horizontal log or branch, and are very difficult to spot.  Their brindled plumage blends perfectly with the gray-brown leaf litter of the open forests where they breed and roost.

Look for them in open understories. They can be found in both purely deciduous and mixed deciduous-conifer forests, often in areas with sandy soil.

The whip-poor-wills have been made famous in folk songs, poems and literature for their endless chanting on summer nights.

Eastern whip-poor-wills migrate to Mexico and Central America for the winter, apparently traveling mostly over land to get there. In spring they arrive in breeding grounds between late March and mid-May. Since they are less vocal in autumn, less is known about their southward migration routes and timing, but they seem to leave between early September and late November.

The Eastern whip-poor-wills are medium-sized birds with a large, rounded head and a stout chest that tapers to a long tail and wings, giving them a distinctly front-heavy look. Like all nightjars, they are patterned with a complicated mottling of gray and brown, which camouflages them nearly perfectly with leaf litter and tree bark.

Nesting activities may be timed so adults are feeding young primarily on nights when the moon is more than half full, making it easier for them while foraging. Males sing at night to defend their territory and to attract a mate. They do not build nests in the traditional way. The nest site is on the ground in shady woods but often near the edge of a clearing, on open soil covered with dead leaves.They do not build a nest, but instead the eggs lay on the flat ground.

The entire state of Maine is part of the whip-poor-wills range.

But, getting back to the original question: Eastern whip-poor-wills are still fairly common birds, but their numbers declined by almost 3 percent per year between 1966 and 2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 75 percent during that time, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. In some areas, parts of their range seem to have become unoccupied.  Partners in Flight estimates a global breeding population of 2 million with 95 percent living part of the year in the U.S.

The decline in parts of their range is blamed mostly on open forests being converted to pasture urbanizing and agriculture. Although it’s not fully understood, the decline may also be caused by a general reduction in numbers of large moths and beetles.

The Eastern whip-poor-will is on the 2016 State of North America’s Birds’ Watch List, which includes bird species that are most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats.  Also, because whip-poor-wills often fly over roads or sit on roadways while foraging, they are also vulnerable to collisions with cars.

Restoration could occur when abandoned farmlands revert to forest.

So, on those quiet, moonlit nights around a campfire, listen off in the distance, and you just might here the call of the whip-poor-will.

by Debbie Walker

My dad and I had a very important conversation when I was about 14 years old. You see dad was not my biological father, very few people ever knew it. It wasn’t an issue to him. It was from him that I learned “Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a dad”.

In our house it was never kept a secret, however, it didn’t enter into our family life. As a matter of fact, I don’t believe my brother, Pete, even realized it until he was about 15 years old. When I tell you it was truly never an issue in our family, it’s an understatement.

I can honestly tell you that despite all the gray hairs I gave him starting at my earliest years right up through all the years, that man never once commented that I was not his biological child. To dad’s way of thinking I was his through and through.

The qualities and values that make me who I am today I give full credit to mom and dad and I am proud of them all.

When I got older and I learned about my sisters, daughters who were born to my biological father, dad actually encouraged our getting together, and he and mom welcomed each one in our home. At one time or another my whole family amazed each girl with their acceptance and their interest in their lives.

There are many fathers who are also wonderful dads, I know that. As for step-dads they do sometimes have a different role even if they came into the child’s life at a young age. Children know how to push buttons and they are very good at a young age as manipulators. Think about it, they learn if I cry I’ll be fed or changed or held, whatever it is they want. They continue to hone those skills right up through the years. That’s where all the gray hairs come from!

One of the most remarkable things about dad I never truly realized until I was an adult. In my entire life with dad I can honestly say he never, ever brought up the fact that I wasn’t “his child.” No matter what I did to frustrate him, that man never once, to my mother or me, made a reference to my not being “his.” I believe in his heart and soul I was his child in every way. I also learned over the years that he is one of a very few dads that would be able to swear to that claim and not be struck by lightning by doing so.

Since there are no perfect people there are no perfect parents, mom’s or dad’s, and we know that certainly applies to children! Being a parent is a difficult job, always has been, always will be. We have more single parents now trying to do the job of what should be a partnership. We also have a great many grandparents who are finding themselves “parenting” again.

All of that brings me to my other thought. You might wonder why I waited until after Fathers Day to write this column and I’m about to cover that too. I don’t like Mothers and Fathers Day.

It’s just another “Hallmark Holiday” as far as I’m concerned. Too many people ignore their parents until the day. I believe we should be honoring our parents all the year through, let them know they are appreciated and include them in our daily lives. Sending flowers, candy, whatever, one day a year just doesn’t cut it as far as I’m concerned.

The statement, “Any man can be a father but it takes someone special to be a Dad,” has a special meaning to me. Some of these guys aren’t much more than sperm donors to put it quite bluntly.

So for all of you who have “dad’s” please honor them everyday, not just one day a year. Keep in touch with love.

Contact me at dwdaffy@yahoo.com , subject line: Dad’s and Mom’s.  Thanks for reading!

Benjamin Blaisdell has been named to the president’s list at Western New England University, in Springfield, Massachusetts, for spring semester of 2016. Blaisdell is working toward a degree in marketing.