Nature's Notebook

Next Wednesday, April 4, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., the Sharon Audubon Center hosts its annual woodcock watch. I’ve written about the springtime display of the American woodcock before, but it is such a special event of the season that it warrants returning to one more time.

One surprising aspect of the woodcock’s “twilight dance†is that the display of its closest relative, the Eurasian woodcock, is nothing remotely like it. Eurasian woodcocks fly in a straight line between various points in their territory to make their breeding readiness known.
For those who have never witnessed the American woodcock’s display, it goes like this: As twilight deepens (and occasionally on moonlit nights), the male sets up shop in a suitable field, meadow, or other clearing that becomes his stage. The first act of his show is a scratchy call — a peent — given at intervals of a few seconds, while the bird turns slowly in a circle. 

\After about a minute of peenting, the male bursts straight upward into flight, climbing higher and higher in a spiral, with his wings producing a mechanical whistling sound. (Male woodcocks have special sound-producing primary feathers on their wings.)

At the apex of his climb, which can be up to 300 feet in the air, the male begins his descent, slow at first but then picking up speed, and as he spirals down he emits a rhythmic chirping call.  Finally, he plunges back to earth exactly where he started, and begins all over again.

It is easy to hear woodcocks displaying, but it can be difficult to see them in the semi-darkness. With a little practice and a lot of patience, however, you can probably get the hang of it. It is well worth the effort to see one of nature’s most intriguing performances.

It is not totally clear if each male woodcock is performing for a single hen or many. Most males are polygynous — that is, they mate with more than one female. But woodocks do not form classic “leks,†the word ornithologists give to communal display arenas where numerous males all display together, strutting their stuff for discriminating females. (Wild turkeys are a better example of a true “lekking†species, though the location of the males’ lek is a somewhat impromptu affair — wherever a female is waiting!) 

Woodcocks are sometimes said to have “dispersed†or “exploded†leks, meaning that each male has a separate stage, often several hundred yards from his nearest  neighbor.

The woodcock’s display continues through early May, but the best way to enjoy it is with the guidance of an Audubon expert. Don’t miss out!

Fred Baumgarten is a naturalist and writer. He can be reached at fredb58@sbcglobal.net . His blog is at thatbirdblog.blogspot.com.