Country diary: Waiting for a nightjar is elusive and maddening – then thrilling | Mark Cocker

Goyt Valley, Derbyshire: My patience into dusk is rewarded with a full display of unlikely calls and aerial prowess The setting sun spread a last Iberian glow over the hills opposite before they were drained of colour and sound, and by nine, the world was in monochrome. In line with national increases in their numbers and range, nightjars have prospered here recently. It seems especially so with the clearance of conifers, which has left a mix of old Scots pine and open space perfectly suited ...

By Mark Cocker