A group of 14 birders pose on a path surrounded by prairie. In the foreground a man in a winter hat and glasses is holding out the camera to get the selfie shot. There is also a young child holding up binoculars. The sun is setting behind them. — The Park 566 group.

words and photos by Edward Warden

There aren’t many occasions where birding at night are superior to daylight hours, but for a few weeks in late March/early April, that is 100% the case for one bird in particular: the American Woodcock. While you can encounter them during the day, such encounters are rare and more often by accident than by design. Woodcocks, which have many alternate names such as Timberdoodles or Bog Suckers, conduct a dramatic mating display. These mating dances take place very early in the season and in a very narrow time window between sunset and full night, known as twilight. So every year, COS leads a number trips to some of the best places to observe these displays across Chicagoland. While one planned trip needed to be cancelled, two very successful trips took place in the 2023 timberdoodle season.

Air Station Prairie — March 25, 2023

Kent Fuller Air Station Prairie is an ecological gem featuring one of the highest quality prairie habitats in all of Illinois. Home to unique flora and fauna, one of its many strong suits is a healthy population of American Woodcocks. Being a slam dunk for these birds most years, there was no doubt in our mind that COS would return here for the 2023 season. And as hoped, it did not disappoint.

Gathering on the deck of the interpretive center as the sun set, we took some time to see a few other birds before it got too dark, including numerous Red-winged Blackbirds, a near constant stream of ducks coming in to roost, and a woodpecker that had made itself at home in the roof of the center. When we finally hit the trail, we discovered we were not the only ones with the same idea and crossed paths with a group from the Illinois Young Birders. As sunset transitioned into twilight, the first woodcock made itself known. Before long, several were calling and, after an initial chorus as if the males were conferring that the time had indeed arrived, they took flight.

As always with such adventures, nothing is guaranteed, so hearing the birds and seeing their shadowy ascents was magic enough for our group. For several, this was a life bird. Mission accomplished! But this would not be where the night ends. The prairie had recently undergone a burn which meant that much of the cover that would have prevented us from seeing woodcocks on the ground was no longer in play. With just a little extra patience and sharp eyes, we were able to see more than one on the ground conducting its display calls. One even landed on the path itself!

After about 30 minutes of unbridled woodcock sky dances mingled with birder excitement, the show came to a close as quickly as it started. A delightful evening with the best possible results!

Park 566 — March 26, 2023

COS leads trips to visit Park 566 on a fairly regular basis. This peculiar, unnamed park has proven over the years to be an incredible magnet for birds (something you can read more about in the annual Park 566 State of the Birds reports). And while the occasional woodcock had been observed there, it was only until last year that it was confirmed that they were not only breeding there, but a LOT of them were. So this year, we organized a Park 566 woodcock walk for the first time.

Making our way into the park, we were greeted early on by a couple raptors including a Merlin and a Cooper’s Hawk. We were also able to spot a number of sparrows in the burned portions of the park as we made our way to a more central location in the park. With the smell of charred grasses in the air, we stopped near the cottonwood tree line and waited. As sunset gave way to twilight, there was only breaking waves and traffic to be heard. As two Short-eared Owls made a surprise appearance, we began to wonder if perhaps we were out of luck. But before too long, a distant whistle which could only be identified as a woodcock in flight, was heard.

Making us work for a visual, we hopped progressively along tree and fence lines in search of our target birds. At this point, multiple individuals were now calling from the ground and whistling in the sky but they continued to elude our eyes. Finally, in what almost felt like the birds mocking us as we fumbled in the dark, our first visual came in the form of a woodcock zipping directly past our heads! While this remained our closest encounter, a few more made themselves visible in the night sky before the curtain call of night set in.

Field Trip Report: Woodcock Walk Roundup