Chuck-will’s-widow

Straight on view of a Chuck-will's-widow resting on the ground with its eyes mostly closed. It is very well camouflaged and blends in with the forest floor very well.
Chuck-will’s-widow, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 4, 2022
EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-12,800; f/10; 1/800 sec.

This page is for the Chuck-will’s-widow (Antrostomus carolinensis). My first photographic evidence of the Chuck-will’s-widow was on June 4, 2022 at Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX. I was out with their monthly bird count and one group saw it and told us where to look. Even then it was very difficult to see as it blended in well with the forest floor. This guy was resting as they are nocturnal, and people were seeing it for a few hours. If you look closely at the second photo, you can see the reflection of the trees in its mostly closed eye. This bird was the big find of the day.

Side view of a Chuck-will's-widow resting on the ground with its eyes mostly closed. It is very well camouflaged and blends in with the forest floor very well.
Chuck-will’s-widow, Acton Nature Center, Acton, TX, June 4, 2022
EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-2500; f/11; 1/60 sec.