Night Birds and Sounds

Video Taken 3/31

In the search for an American Woodcock, the best time to go is at night.  While you can't see them you can hear them.  Finding a woodcock in the day can be hard, they are secretive quiet and like dense wood with lots of leaf cover.  They have the prefect camouflage for their environment as well and well adapted to it.  They have these great long beaks that are perfect for grabbing worms and grubs.  Despite being a shorebird, American Woodcocks are perfectly adapted to life in the middle of forests and leave piles.

If the Woodcock is so well hidden and hard to find, how does one go about seeing them?  Well, there is always the option of stumbling upon one by chance.  Most of the time, they are found by being flushed from a trail or a good grub eating spot.  But the best way to get a woodcock on your list is to hear them at night.  In early spring, at dawn or duck, you can go to a open field near some woods and hear the distinctive peent calls that males give during their flight displays to attract females.  I've captured some of these on video over the years, so please enjoy my clip and get out and go birding!

An American Woodcock in Montreal (C) guizmo_68

AllAboutBirds American Woodcock Entry - Link Here

Linking to Wild Bird Wednesday

Woodcock at Dusk

This the season to look for American Woodcock in grassy areas and celebrate the coming of spring.  This isn't as glamorous as it sounds.  The fields are wet, the winds are sharp, and when the sun is going down, the woodcocks come out.  At first, I was frustrated that there were no woodcock preening or displaying.  Then, as if they had all hit some switch, the preening and buzzing and nighttime flights began.

It was simply amazing to see this sign of spring be so active and so master this time and environment.  I was tripping into puddles, walking into bushes, and failed to capture a shot of any woodcock (which is why I've provided a video clip from Eagle Optics and the Birdchick).  Take a look and go out a dusk and look and listen for the American Woodcock!

Finding Mr. Woodcock (C) by Eagle Optics and The BirdChick

2013 Year List: 103
Osprey
American Woodcock