A whippoorwill rests on the lid of this jar, nestled into a pile of leaves with her chick tucked safely against her chest. She sits so still that you could walk right past her, which is exactly how she wants it. Leaves are stamped into the exterior, and the jar is glazed in a blue-black like the woods after dark, scattered with gold luster stars.

Lift the lid and the night sky is waiting: a crescent moon, hand-cut from brass, dangles from the underside, surrounded by more gold luster stars.

Whippoorwills belong to the nightjar family, and they nest directly on the forest floor, with no nest at all, just a scatter of leaves. That makes them vulnerable to habitat loss, disturbance, and predators, and their numbers have fallen sharply. Many nightjar species are now rare, threatened or declining.

Ways to help protect them include:

• Keeping cats indoors. Free-roaming cats are a major predator of ground-nesting birds and their chicks.

• Leave leaf litter. It’s their nursery, so let it lie in wild corners of your yad.

• Protect woodland and brushy edges, and support land trusts that conserve them.

• Dim, shield, or turn off outdoor lights, since darkness is part of their habitat.

• Skip pesticides, which cut down the moths and beetles they feed on.

• Keep dogs leashed and give wild places space during nesting season.

For those who make room for the quiet lives that depend on the dark.

This jar measures 3.5” wide and 3” tall to top of whipporwill head. Bottom features maker’s stamp and individual piece number 052-26. All glazes are lead-free and food safe. Handwashing recommended. Do not microwave.

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