Nightjar Report

Nightjar surveys in the New Forest were carried out in 2023 to meet monitoring requirements for the Special Protection Area and to update results from 2013 and 2018. Survey teams and volunteers walked 154 fixed transects between late May and mid-July, with two visits per transect where possible. They recorded 1,379 nightjar observations and mapped territories using territorial males as a proxy for breeding pairs. The survey identified 353 territorial males (318 in the open forest/HLS area), a drop from 435 in 2018 and 544 in 2013, indicating an overall decline and a slight contraction and shifting of distribution. Occupied 1 km squares fell from 214 in 2018 to 187 in 2023. Despite declines, numbers still exceed the SPA target of 300 breeding pairs. Possible reasons include extreme 2023 weather, habitat change, management practices, disturbance, and development pressures; further regular surveys are recommended.