Known colloquially as "Timberdoodle", "Mud Bat", "Labrador twister", "Bogsucker" and "Mudsnipe", the
American Woodcock is an unusual shorebird with a preference for wooded areas. Their cryptic plumage makes them ideally suited for disappearing into the leaf litter of the forest floor. They are now migrating through our area. Environmentalist and writer Aldo Leopold wrote a wonderful essay, "
Sky Dance", about the courtship process of this interesting bird.
Lovely! Thank you for passing on Leopold's essay. I hadn't read it, and it gives such richness to this creature.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you encountering the woodcocks? I'd love to see one.
They are being seen in Green-Wood Cemetery, Prospect Park, Central Park, Bryant Park and many other locations right now as this is prime migration time for them.
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