58. Night singers!
7. When to Sing, and How
Night singing
From page 124 in the book.
Night singers! It is truly a different world that these nightsingers inhabit, one in which we can't see and in which we inevitably feel entirely out of place and ill at ease. But give it a try, perhaps with company: As the day winds down to dusk and into the early evening, listen for one of these nightjars, for the chuck-will's-widow or one of the whip-poor-wills (eastern or Mexican) or the common poorwill. Listen to how he sings, and where he sings as you monitor his movement around his territory. Collect some numbers, such as how rapidly he sings, or how many songs before he takes a breather. I fondly remember my all-nighter with an eastern whip-poor-will—only the second all-nighter of my life (the first was for a college exam in a course that I abhorred, hence I'd procrastinated studying).