A round body with a long beak, dance-like movements when they walk, and, of course, that unmistakable “peet” sound — the American Woodcock was always destined for stardom.
If wildlife content comes your way on social media, you have definitely seen videos of these birds "dancing" set to music, or their funny calls edited
And that’s because spring is when the majority of these ground-dwelling birds are back up north for breeding season.
Ava Michelangelo is with the Connecticut Audubon Society. She’s leading a group of fellow bird enthusiasts at Milford, Connecticut’s Eisenhower Park.
“So they keep their heads still, kind of like chickens, and do a little dance like…" She goes on to demonstrate with some encouragement from the group. "...And the thing is, there are two theories as to why they do this, but none of them are proven true. So, they really are just weird birds!”
We’re here at dusk — that’s when the birds come out for a unique mating ritual. The males will fly up 200 to 300 feet in the air in a spiral motion. On their way back down, the feathers on their wings will make a kind of whistling sound. That’s how they attract the ladies.
Maggie Watson is another one of our guides.
“Once they start their circle, we’ll take a couple of steps closer," Watson said. "We’ll freeze, huddle together and try not to look like a predator. When they take off again, we’ll get a little closer to them. We’ll see how close we can get.”
But for now, we have to be patient for when the lighting is just right.
“Birds are kind of a sign of how the rest of our ecosystem is doing," Watson said. "If the birds are doing really well, usually the things they’re eating are doing well. And the things eating them are doing really well.”
The American Woodcock likes moist soil areas, so the Long Island Sound region provides plenty of great habitat for them. In fact, all the access to water here makes this a favorite stop for many migrating birds.
The light is finally right, and we hear a little “peet,” so we head further into the woods.
We wait...and wait. But no show for us tonight. The joys of bird watching.
As Watson pointed out to us earlier in the evening, these are not paid actors. But her advice is, if you want to get into birding, this is the time to do it!
“This is the time of the year that all the birds that were down in central and South America return to their breeding grounds. So now until May is a really good time to see all kinds of wildlife.”
At least you can always find them on Instagram!
