Missing in American Memorial
Prepping for the Indy 500
Dancing With The Stars finalists
Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2009 > March > 10 > Entry
The Woodcock Dance
The American Woodcocks, also known as bog suckers and timberdoodles, are making their way back from their southern state wintering grounds, like Louisiana. The males are the first to arrive, and like to make a low ‘peennnt’ sound, right when the sun sets until it gets dark. The females arrive a little later.
By the second week in March, the males start to show off for the females, strutting around meadows and prairies, usually right on hiking trails so they can be seen. Once they feel a female might be watching, the male takes off in flight, with it’s wing feathers making a wispy, squeaky sound, similar to Mourning Doves taking flight. The Woodcock starts flying in circles, getting higher and higher while the circles get smaller and smaller. Then, when the Woodcock get’s as high as it wants to go, it begins to make a bubbling sound. Suddenly, it’s quiet, and the bird dives in a zig-zag pattern until it comes within about 10 feet of the earth, opens it’s wings, and falls like a leaf, landing nearly in the same spot it flew from.
If you’re interested in seeing this event, check out metroparks.org for a woodcock watch or night bird search near you, or visit a field surrounded with shruby woods near your home!
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Birds
Comments