The full moon dominated the night sky June 27 in the Bitterroot Valley. But when it came up over the Sapphire Mountains, photographer Mike Daniels snapped a photo of a dark object passing in front of the bright orb. What was it?

He knew it was a bird, but when he zoomed in on the photo (see photo below), he determined it was a nighthawk - a common bird in the Bitterroot. It was on one of its regular night flights and happened to "photobomb" Mike's photo of the moon. By the way, one of most unusual sounds you'll hear in the woods at night, is the "Zoom" of a nighthawk diving toward the ground. Cornell's website has a great recording, but to hear it "live" is very cool.

nighthawk photobomb
Nighthawk in front of moon. (Mike Daniels, Townsquare Media)
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