Whip-poor-wills are nocturnal and seldom ever seen. The repetitive chorus of “whip-poor-will, whip-poor-will” is sung by males in the late spring and early summer as dusk turns to darkness.

It is not uncommon to hear the song in early April or even before. It has, however, become increasingly rare to hear the whip-poor-will at all. The whip-poor-will population in West Virginia has dwindled in recent years due to factors such as habitat loss and pesticide…