Ruben Evens

DONE. Captured more than 400 #nightjar, found more than 50 nests. Nearly 56 gps/acc deployments. We traditionally wrap up in September, but juveniles did not start #migration yet?Should we try again next week 👀… @UCLouvain_be @UAntwerpen @natuurenbos @FWOVlaanderen

IT FINALLY HAPPENED!! After 15 years of studying #nightjar, and finding more than 400 nests, one of our team members @RSchnurmacher found a three-egg nest! Fingers crossed it does not get predated or disturbed!

SECOND ROUND! Project deadlines = less fieldwork, luckily I could join the team yesterday. They found 8 new nests. Most with recently laid eggs 8. Some nests only 7m apart! Also recaptured some old friends! #nightjar @ThomasVeryser

Productive night. Found three new nests, captured eight #nightjar and downloaded some activity data from a long-term logger.

Busy night at the former airfield of #malle. Captured 14 birds, including 4 recaptured. Also found three predated nests. #nightjar

PARASITES! #nightjar, #nematode and #biology community, we need your opinion. Does anyone recognise these parasites on the inside of this nightjar skull? How can they get infected with it? Via insects? 🐞

Tonight I visited the Belgian coast while other members worked in our sites in Limburg. Goal: tag the most western #nightjar of the country 🇧🇪. To our biggest surprise, we captured not one but TWO males 🥳. @MaartenDeRijcke

Chick-time. Long night, we tagged some interesting #nightjars and ringed the chicks of five nests. These birds hatched last week. Interesting size and color difference on one nest; age difference 3 days (usually one).

Another abandoned nest. While some females persist, others have abandoned their eggs. 🥚 Heavy rains are forecasted again this for week 🌧️ . Hope the nests will not be submerged due to rising water levels. Fingers crossed for the hatchlings and pray for better weather ☀️.

Feels like Belgian #nightjars are having a hard time. Cold, wet and likely the absence of sufficient #moths. Found four abandoned nests yesterday. Captured males weigh only 60g (normally 65-75) and are very skinny.

Finished three intensive days of fieldwork at our new Slovakian site 🇸🇰 with 22 #nightjar, three nests and new species on the bycatch-list 😅. Let’s find out which females started incubating in Belgium! 🇧🇪

Great second night in #slovakia. Nine #nightjar during a very cold night.

First night in Slovakia 🇸🇰. Tagged two #nightjar and hoping to get some more tomorrow. Also collecting more #skyglow images.

Recap of last week. 30 #nightjar last week. Females seem to wait with nesting until the weather improves. Many still without brood patches. Off to #slovakia now.

Second night of the week, cold clear night. 9 birds, including 6 recaptures. Also found nest 2 and 3!

Rainy day ☔️.Ideal to prospect a new site close to #skyglow 🌑 . 11 #nightjar in one round including two old recaptures! 🐦.

WE CAUGHT OUR FIRST GERMAN 🇩🇪 (#nightjar 👀). Difficult night. Didn’t get the individuals we hoped for. Wrong net placement, but still 12 birds. New pairs are forming. Breeding can start any day now. 🥚

Many male and female #nightjar arrived home this weekend. High amount of territorial disputes and displays. 17 birds tonight, including our first female migration logger!