At 8.30 pm on a sultry Thursday evening in the dying days of June around 30 Surrey Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers gathered on Barossa common in Camberley to take part in a vital ritual – the annual Nightjar survey.

Breaking into small parties, the citizen scientists wander the pathways around carefully-prescribed areas of the site, noting the precise locations and timings of any Nightjar calls or sightings.  At the end of the evening, Conservation Manager Adam Bolton is able to form a decent estimate of the size of the population, using the precision nature of the records taken to minimise the risk of double counting.  By 11pm, the final tally suggests there are 40 territories made their presence known to us; a healthy population clearly still calls Barossa home.

Even seasoned experts can’t fail to be moved by the beauty of prime heathland habitat as the sun sets over the heather, bracken and woodland edges. For those who have not before seen the boomerang-like display flights or heard the extra-terrestrial-sounding territorial churring of these nocturnal African migrants, the experience won’t be quickly forgotten.

Joining events like these is an amazing way to connect with nature and assist in this essential monitoring work.  And it’s your support that makes these surveys – and the ongoing maintenance of the lowland heathland habitats that these captivating creatures depend on - possible.  Let’s make sure the magic of Nightjars is here to stay.

Check out the video below, where Adam Bolton takes us along for the survey, you can follow Adam on Instagram for more videos like this at instagram.com/abwildnature.