I saw a Timberdoodle!
Last weekend we were in Lake Geneva, WI. We drove to this lovely lake and town on a snowy, overcast day. There was an accident on the interstate and the GPS suggested an alternate route which we took. It was a series of rural roads winding through the southern Wisconsin countryside past fields, woodlands, and farms. And probably because of the snowy weather, we saw no other cars.
Many birds were foraging on the shoulders of these roads. Lots of male Red-winged Blackbirds – no females. Male Common Grackles – no females. European Starlings. A few robins. Several Horned Larks. And then I saw it – an American Woodcock! It was with a flock of blackbirds. The woodcock was in flight, but I could clearly see the round, chubby brown body and long, needlelike beak. Clearly an American Woodcock – affectionately known everywhere as a Timberdoodle.
My guess is either this bird was migrating or had just finished migrating. These birds nest in our central and northern states and in Canada, and winter in our southern states. Migration for them begins early. If the winter is a warmer one, they can start migrating north in January. They also can begin courting in March so to see one already in southern Wisconsin would not be out of the ordinary, but in my experience, seeing – or hearing – woodcocks is unusual. You have to be in the right habitat and at the right time of day.
There is one place I can occasionally see and hear these birds here in central Illinois. If we drive on deserted rural back roads in late March-early April at dusk, and if we are lucky, we will see a few in the drainage ditches on either side of the road. This time of year, these drainage ditches generally have grasses and plants which are still short, but lush, and the soil is moist – perfect for foraging woodcocks. Generally, as we slowly drive along these drainage ditches, if woodcocks are there, they will flush and that is when we see them.
How about any of you? Do you see Woodcocks – Timberdoodles – where you live or are birding? If so, tell us what you are seeing and hearing in the Public Forum.